


Unconquerable

by Ana (Anafandom)



Series: Alliance [3]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24040642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anafandom/pseuds/Ana
Summary: Thanos is coming and heroes from all over the galaxy have to band together to fight him. A re-write of Infinity War.
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill, Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Alliance [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693525
Comments: 546
Kudos: 1012
Collections: EGFixIts, Fics I Don't Want To Lose





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the third in the series, and it won’t make much sense without reading the previous ones.
> 
> This is Alliance ‘verse IW, so I will use a lot of elements of the movie, with some scenes lifted pretty much verbatim (thanks to Fandom’s transcript wiki, which saved me from re-watching the movie – which I do not currently have access to – and from having to type up a lot of dialogue. It was also hugely helpful with movie scenes descriptions), while other things will be very different.
> 
> I'm really happy with this one (55k words in a month, go me!), and I hope you'll enjoy it too. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Hope everyone is keeping safe.

"Only by binding together as a single force will we remain strong and unconquerable."

― Chris Bradford

*****

**Space**

The song was blasting through the speakers. Quill was bobbing his head up and down to the beat, his moving hips causing the chair he was sitting on to shake slightly.

“Sing it, Drax!” the human said, shoving a hand at the other’s face.

Drax snubbed him, since he was snoring with his mouth open from his seat in front of Quill. Gamora, on the other hand, was moving her lips, mouthing the words of the song along with Quill. They were completely ridiculous and Rocket rolled his eyes, though there was a part of him that wanted to join in. He ignored it, as usual, and affected a bored air, complete with yawn.

“Why are we doing this again?” he asked.

Gamora looked at him as if he was crazy. “It’s a _distress signal_ , Rocket. Someone could be _dying_.”

“I get that, but why are we doing it?” He knew why they were doing it. It was because they were all damn bleeding hearts, thinking that the universe could be a _good_ place. What morons. The universe was shit.

“’Cause we’re nice,” Quill said, and Rocket mentally clapped himself for knowing the answer. Of course he did. He was smart and he knew these idiots. They were _his_ idiots, after all. “And maybe whoever it is will give us a little cheddar cheese,” he added, making the gesture that Rocket had learned meant money for humans. What an odd bunch. “For our help.”

“Which isn’t the point,” Gamora said to Quill with a disapproving expression.

Quill, whipped as he was, agreed immediately. **“** Which isn’t the point… But… if he doesn’t pony up….

 **“** We’ll take his ship.” Had Drax been faking sleep? It was possible. Rocket should have done that too. Whatever.

“Exactly!” Rocket agreed.

“We are arriving,” Mantis said, drawing everyone’s attention.

Quill puffed up to deliver his ‘I am Captain and what I say is important’ speech. Rocket rolled his eyes again. “All right, Guardians. Don’t forget, this might be dangerous, so let’s put on our mean faces.” He turned off the music.

Mantis obligingly produced a very unconvincing snarl. That girl couldn’t scare anyone, she was as meek as a kitten. Groot stayed glued to his stupid videogame, which beeped loudly in the sudden silence. Rocket wanted to beat the crap out of Quill for introducing his little sapling to that thing. It was going to melt the kid’s brain.

“Groot, put that thing away. Now. I don’t wanna tell you again,” Quill said, trying for a stern tone and missing by a mile. 

Groot ignored him, the game still beeping. “I am Groot!” he replied in a mocking tone.

“Whoa!”

“Language!”

“Hey!”

“Wow.”

Quill, Rocket, Gamora and Drax said, almost simultaneously.

Quill looked almost impressed. “You got some acorns on you, kid.”

Rocket wasn’t so amused. “Ever since you got a little sap, you’re a total d-hole. Keep it up, and I’m gonna _smash that thing to pieces!_ ”

Groot only rolled his eyes, the little bastard. If he thought Rocket wouldn’t do it, he was going to be in for a nasty surprise one of these days.

Rocket was about to scold him some more, but they arrived and his attention was drawn to the view outside. It was… a mess. There was destruction all around them; debris and floating corpses filled the screen.

“Wow. Shit.”

“What happened?” Mantis asked.

“Looks like we’re not getting paid,” Rocket said. He didn’t like this one bit, though. There was… something here that made his fur stand on end. Bad, bad feeling.

“Look!” Gamora pointed to a big piece of… was that a ship?… passing by. “Look at the insignia.”

Quill leaned forward. “Is that… Is that the Nova Corp?”

Rocket jumped up on his chair and started messing with the controls, trying to hail Xandar. There was no answer. He looked at Quill.

“Set course for Xandar,” Quill said.

The trip was made in silence. Even Groot had finally put aside his damn videogame, watching the screen anxiously.

“Shit.” It was Quill who spoke, echoing everyone’s sentiments. Xandar was a mess. Debris littered the orbit of the planet, with even more dead bodies drifting around the wreckage of the ships. The ship’s sensors registered life signs on the planet, but far _far_ fewer than there should have been. There had been over 12 billion life forms in Xandar the last time they’d been there. Now it was only a little over 5.

There was only one being who could have done this.

“Thanos has the Power Stone,” Gamora breathed, voice slightly shaky.

The universe was screwed.

*****

**Earth**

It was a nice day. Clear skies, warm weather, perfectly pleasant. It had been a while since Stephen had had the opportunity to go outside just to enjoy the fresh air. Being the Master of the New York Sanctum – not to mention the Sorcerer Supreme – came with a lot of duties and responsibilities, and it made for a hectic life. He was used to a certain amount of that – he’d once been a surgical intern at a major hospital, after all – but this was new. Who would have guessed that there were so many mystical threats out there? Wong said things weren’t usually this chaotic and that the current mess was a result of Kaecillius’s meddling and the death of the Ancient One. Thus, things should stabilize soon. Stephen certainly hoped so, anyway. He really missed the easy days when all he had to worry about was brain surgery.

At the moment, though, he and Wong were going out for a bite to eat as a treat to themselves for having put out one more (metaphorical) mystical fire. Stephen thought about telling Wong to change into something that gave a little less of a ‘weird cult’ vibe – he himself was wearing normal clothes for once –, but he was worried that if they went back inside the Sanctum something would happen and they wouldn’t be able to leave again. So what if they were stared at? As long as he could have a decent cup of coffee, he could live with that.

“So are you actually carrying money with you, or am I going to have to pay for you? Again,” Stephen asked as they went down the steps of the Sanctum. Wong was a good friend, but he was always conveniently out of money when they went out. Stephen’s finances had taken a big hit after the accident and all his desperate efforts to find a cure, and the Order of the Masters of the Mystic Arts didn’t pay that well. At least they provided him with room and board; that was something.

“I have money,” Wong replied. “Two hundred.”

“Dollars?”

“Rupees.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. Typical.

They had taken barely a dozen steps from the Sanctum when they heard a deafening crash behind them. Something had just fallen through the roof of the Sanctum. With a worried glance at each other, Stephen and Wong ran back inside to see a young woman struggling to pull herself out of the huge crater at the bottom of the stairs.

“Thanos is coming… he’s coming,” she said, eyes wide with fear.

“Shit,” Stephen muttered.


	2. Chapter 1 - Asgard under attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We go back in time a little bit to find out what happened in Asgard.

The alarm came in the middle of the night. Thor was awoken by a servant frantically knocking on the door of his chambers. He dressed hastily and was in the Council Room in minutes, joined by a somber-faced Heimdall, a grave General Juik, a grumpy Brunnhilde and several sleepy Councilors.

“Report,” Thor demanded as soon as everyone was seated. There was no time for pleasantries.

“There are ships heading for Asgard,” Heimdall said. “I believe they belong to Thanos.”

After Loki had been revealed to all of Asgard as still being among the living almost a year ago, Thor had finally been able to tell the Council about the threat of the Mad Titan. He had told them exactly what Loki had divulged of the Titan’s people and ships, as well as his ultimate goal. There had been resistance at first, of course. Even though Loki had helped to save Asgard, his word was still distrusted by many. Thor’s belief had not been enough, since there were some who thought Thor was too emotionally invested in Loki to see through his lies. It had made Thor angry, and had led to some less than well-thought out actions on his part – such as having a couple of Council members sent to the dungeons for treason. That might have worked to make people stop saying such things to his face, yet it did nothing to actually make them believe the information. Thor had then switched tactics and sought out others to confirm Loki’s words (and had let the Councilmen out with a warning about minding their words in the future). Brunnhilde had been quite helpful in that, as she had heard many tales of the Titan from people who had ended up in Sakaar. Thor had also had Hingl search the library for any mention of Thanos, and she had actually found plenty that ratified Loki’s story. The stories were from Bor’s early days as king, many millennia ago, but they went a long way towards convincing, if not everyone in the Council, at least some of the high ranking warriors. The one who had seemed the most knowledgeable – and who had taken the threat most seriously – was Juik, so Thor promoted him to General and put him in charge of organizing the army.

Little by little, Thor gained people’s trust, and was thus able to fully implement a lot of the plans Loki had covertly already begun in his tenure as king. Brunnhilde had eventually accepted his proposal to re-start the Valkyries, and they had both been pleasantly surprised by how many women signed up for the training. They were nowhere ready yet, but they had made enormous progress in a very short time nevertheless, and Thor was quite proud of them.

“I need emissaries sent to the other realms at once,” Thor said. “Alfheim, Vanaheim and Nidavellir must be notified immediately.” Thor would have liked to warn Jotunheim as well, but Asgard’s relationship with them was still far too complicated and there was the possibility that any messenger would not be well received. It was something Thor wanted to work on, but at the moment he had other priorities. He would also need to be carefully consider who to send to Midgard. Except for Thor and Loki – and Sif and the Warriors three briefly, who Thor wouldn’t trust not to cause trouble – no one else had been on the realm in a long time were likely to blunder presenting themselves to the humans.

“General Juik, see to the readiness of the troops and the city’s defenses. Also, start evacuating people to safer locations. Our intelligence says that Thanos will attack the whole city with the intent to destroy as much of it as possible, so we need to make sure people won’t be caught in the crossfire.” The man nodded. Thor turned to the gatekeeper. “Heimdall, how many ships are there and how much time do we have until they arrive?”

“I see one massive ship and a great number of smaller ones. I estimate they will be here in a few hours,” was the grim reply.

That did not give them much time. “Do you see Thanos?”

“I do not. However, it is possible that he has the means to hide from my sight. I cannot see inside the ships.”

Loki didn’t think Thanos had any magical ability of his own, but some of his generals did possess certain powers that might be similar. It was also possible that he already acquired one or more Infinity Stones, which could help him with keeping himself hidden.

There were six Infinity Stones. They knew the location of the Space Stone (the Tesseract), which was in the vaults underneath the palace. There was the Time Stone and the Mind Stone, both in possession of the humans in Midgard. There was the Reality Stone (the Aether), which had been given to the Collector for safekeeping – and was hopefully still there. There was the Power Stone, which appeared to be protected in Xandar, though Thor could not be certain if that was still the case. And lastly, the Soul Stone, whose whereabouts were entirely unknown. Thor needed to protect the Tesseract at all costs.

“Return to the Bifrost so that the emissaries can go where they need and keep me appraised of the ship’s progress,” Thor told Heimdall, who bowed and left without argument.

Since Thor had threatened to relieve him of his post should he continue to defy the crown due to his prejudice, Heimdall had been more obedient. Even so, Thor did not entirely trust him. Unfortunately, any substitute had to be trained, and that training was still ongoing. On Loki’s advice, Thor had selected two possible replacements, who were to share duties. It had occurred to him that, given the threats they faced, it was not wise to rely on a single person to be the gatekeeper.

“Brunnhilde, speak to your troops and Lady Eir. You are to help coordinate the evacuation.”

“Yes, my King.”

The Valkyrie had been a formidable addition to the court of Asgard, Thor thought. She was not shy about speaking her mind, and her experiences outside the Nine Realms gave her a unique perspective that Thor found both intriguing and, at times, confusing. In many ways, she felt more of an equal to him than anyone save his brother. It was… a good feeling. They had also taken to sparring when his duties permitted it, and he loved it. She was a fierce fighter with an interesting combination of styles.

These days Thor saw his former friends rarely, and while he missed the camaraderie they used to share, he did not often miss them as people. With some time and distance, he had begun to see that their relationship had not been good to him on a personal level. According to Loki, having people who never challenged him was stifling. Thor hadn’t understood what he’d meant at first, but the more he interacted with Brunnhilde – and also Lady Eir and her staff, who had lost their fear of him rather quickly – the more he saw what his brother had been talking about. There were times he felt lonely, though, but mostly he had been too busy the last few months for it to be more than a passing feeling.

And now he had to focus on defending Asgard.

After a few more words with the Councilmen, Thor went to Hela’s chambers.

Initially, Hela had stayed in the dungeons, but after a while Thor realized that he would not be able to change her mind about him and her own violent ways by keeping her locked up. Though she was dangerous even depowered, someone had to give her a chance to become more than the weapon Odin had made her into, and he figured that person had to be him. So he had arranged comfortable quarters for her and a certain amount of freedom – under supervision, of course. She had attempted to escape once, and was brought back to the dungeons where she had raged until Thor had told her it was her own fault.

“It is your decision where you stay, Hela,” he’d told her. “Are you willing to accept your current limitations and not hurt anyone? If so, we can try it again. I warn you, though, that my patience is not infinite, and you may find yourself out of chances if you continue like this.”

She had agreed, and was once again sent to her assigned quarters. There had been no further escape attempts, thankfully. In fact, she had decided to learn more about what had happened in Asgard since her banishment (or, more accurately, imprisonment), and had spent a great deal of time reading. Thor and Lady Eir visited her regularly to give her an opportunity for conversation and social interaction, which Thor now understood to be essential for mental health. Loki had brought over some books from Midgard concerning the management of mental issues, which Lady Eir was using as additional resource for treatment. According to the healer, humans had a very interesting approach to it that she believed would be beneficial not just for Hela but other of her patients as well.

Thor didn’t know what Hela’s position in Asgard would end up being, but for now he was content that she seemed to be making progress in accepting that it was possible to live her life differently from what she had been taught – and what she had expected.

He knocked on the door, announced himself and waited for her leave to enter.

“Can this not wait until morning, brother?” She asked with a grumpy sigh as she opened the door and waved him in. She was in nightclothes and her hair was in disarray.

“I’m afraid not, sister,” he replied. “The matter is urgent. Asgard is in danger.”

“What do you mean? Who would dare threaten the might of Asgard?”

Over the past months, Thor had spoken to Hela about a variety of subjects, including his long-term plans for Asgard in the hopes of getting her to care about what happened in the realm. He had not, however, talked about Thanos – not beyond what Loki had told her when they had battled for the throne. She probably didn’t remember it, given everything else that had happened that day, and Thor had not thought it wise to mention it before, lest she get more ideas on conquering. Now that she seemed calmer and less prone to violence – and now that the threat in question would be at their door shortly – it was time to do so. She listened attentively, her expression unreadable, until he was done.

“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked at last.

“Thanos seeks to unite the Infinity Stones and, in doing so, destroy not just Asgard but all of the Nine Realms and many more planets besides. He must be stopped.”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with me?”

Thor frowned. “Asgard is your home. Surely you do not want to see it burnt to ashes.”

She scoffed. “And why should I care about the realm, brother? It does not care about me. It barely even knows who I am.”

Thor sighed, feeling incredibly old and weary. “I am sorry for what Father did to you, Hela. It was wrong of him to erase you from the realm’s memory.” Even if she had turned on her own people in the end. As Loki kept reminding him, the blame for that was not just Hela’s. “I cannot undo what he did.” He had found that there were many people alive that _should_ remember Hela – though according to her, none that she had been close to. It had occurred to him to try to reverse Odin’s spell and restore people’s memories, but both Lady Eir and Loki had advised him against it. His magical knowledge was limited, and without knowing what he was doing, he could end up damaging people’s minds. “I cannot give back what he took from you. What I can do is give you a chance to make a new life for yourself. But for that, Asgard must continue to exist.”

“Are you asking me to fight with you, brother?”

He gave her a small smile. “I would have thought that you would like that.”

“And will you restore my powers?” There was a hunger in her eyes that made Thor uncomfortable.

“I’m afraid I cannot. Not yet,” he added before he could protest. “I want to trust you, sister,” he told her honestly, “but it is too soon for that. And I cannot afford to fight two battles now. We must all be a united front.”

Hela looked away, fists clenched. Thor could understand her frustration. Though it was not the same situation, he too had once had to prove his worth in order to regain his powers. In truth, he wasn’t sure what measure his father had used to declare him ‘redeemed’ in the aftermath of his banishment; he wasn’t even sure he’d actually _done_ anything, or it had been simply the threat to his life that had lifted the spell. These days he had no idea whether he was worthy of the throne or not – or even what would make him so. All he had was the belief that he had to do his best to protect his people and hope that that would be enough.

“I know it is not what you want to hear,” he continued. “And I know that a lot of the blame for what happened to you can be laid at father’s feet, but you have made some bad decisions as well. You attacked and killed many guards. You frightened people.” There were not many now who were willing be near Hela, and many who didn’t think Thor should show her any leniency at all. “I cannot simply let you walk free after all that.” She opened her mouth to reply but Thor went on before she could voice her objections. “However, if you fight with us now, it might make the people more willing to trust you, to accept you.” Not everyone would change their minds, though – Loki was still mistrusted, after all, and he had caused a lot less death than Hela.

“So you expect me to fight without powers? I’ll be killed.” Her smile was nasty. “Trying to get rid of me, dear brother?”

Thor shook his head. “No, Hela, I’m not.” It would be much easier if she were to die, of course, but Thor was not malicious enough to wish such a thing. “I do not want your death.” He looked at her earnestly until she broke eye contact. Loki had always told Thor that he was a terrible liar, so he hoped Hela could see that he was telling the truth. “I cannot give you your powers back, but I will restore your resilience.” It was the best he could offer her, and he hoped she would accept it. He really did want her to fight beside him; not just because he would need all the help he could get, but also because he wanted her to have the opportunity to begin her new path.

“And will your troops accept me? Or will they try to kill me?”

“I will speak to them.” And he would make sure to keep her away from the groups with survivors from her incursion. “Do we have an agreement?”

Hela didn’t answer right away, which Thor thought was a good thing. From what he understood, she had always been as impulsive and reckless as him, so seeing her taking the time to think things over before making a decision seemed like a step in the right direction.

“Very well. I accept your terms, brother.”

“I look forward to fighting beside you, then.” He stood. “I must go now. There is still much to do and we do not have much time. I will send someone to give you further instructions as soon as possible.”

“What about Loki? Will he be joining us?”

“I’m going to send a messenger to Midgard soon, but I don’t know if he’ll come. Thanos is targeting Midgard as well, and he is one of its defenders.” Thor thought that Loki would prefer to stay with Tony who was, arguably, in more need of protection. As much as Thor would have felt better with Loki by his side, he knew Loki’s priorities had changed.

At the door, Thor turned back. “I am trusting you, sister. If you betray me, you will regret it.” He tried not to think that he had once said similar words to Loki. He hoped that the situation with Hela would improve – as it had with Loki.

*****

Despite the time to prepare, it wasn’t enough. Barely three hours after Heimdall’s warning, the ships could be clearly seen coming down on the city. A few of the smaller ones came zooming down only to collide against the shield and explode. From the Palace’s courtyard, Thor and his army watched in satisfaction. Their relief was short lived, however, as the big ship started firing. The barrier would soon crumble under the relentless assault.

“Ready the skiffs,” Thor ordered.

He’d barely finished speaking when the shield collapsed and the smaller ships breached the perimeter. Some headed straight to the palace like suicide bombs while others landed, the aliens inside climbing out to start the ground attack.

Then there was no more time for anything but battle. The aliens – not the Chitauri, but a species Thor had never seen before – were not particularly strong; they fell easily with a single well-placed blow. The problem was that there were far too many of them, and they kept coming from the smaller ships and from the big one once it landed.

With his newly forged hammer, Thor called up lightening to fry as many of the bastards as he could and it still wasn’t enough. The swarm of aliens keep pressing closer, going over the corpses of their fallen brethren with no thought to the dead. Thor wasn’t sure they were even sentient, whatever these creatures were. Things weren’t going well, but at least most of the people had managed to leave for the Old Palace, so they should be safe enough for the time being.

For a moment, Thor was almost overrun by the aliens, nearly suffocated by their sheer number. He raised New Mjolnir and flew upwards before he was completely trampled. Once in the air, he could see that the rest of the army wasn’t faring much better. He directed lightening to the thickest cluster of aliens, hoping he wouldn’t hurt his own people in the process, to give them a little more breathing room. It still wasn’t enough.

From the big ship, two new aliens emerged. These were different from the others – they were not mindless beasts. There was intelligence and malice in their eyes. One seemed to be male, and carried a huge glaive. The other was a woman, and her weapon of choice was a long spear.

“We seek that which was denied our Master,” the male said as they came walking through the throng of aliens, who parted to make way for him. “We seek the Tesseract. Give it to me and I shall grant you a quick death.”

Thor gritted his teeth and prepared to attack. “I am Thor, King of Asgard, and we will surrender nothing,” he told the alien.

“Then you shall die at the hands of Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight.”

They attacked.

If Thor thought the fight against Hela nearly a year ago had been difficult, this was much worse. He barely had any room to breathe, too busy dodging and jumping away from the double assault. He tried to take to the air, to get more distance in order to launch a counter attack, but the woman jumped up and grabbed his leg, sending them both crashing back into the ground.

Then Hela was suddenly there, slashing at the aliens with her own spear. “If I’m not going to kill my brother, no one else will,” she said.

Even without her full powers, Hela was a formidable fighter, and they fell into step as if they had fought together all their lives. Her style was quite different from Loki – particularly without her magic – but she was ferocious and good at taking advantage of all openings. For a while it seemed like the tide was finally turning in their favor.

Then the small ships started their suicide runs again, and one crashed next to where Thor and Hela were standing, making them dive for cover. In the confusion of raining debris and dust, they lost track of Glaive and Midnight.

“Where did they go?” Thor asked, using Mjolnir to clear the air around and allow them to see.

“Must have gone inside the Palace,” Hela replied, and took off running, Thor right behind her.

The aliens had left a path of destruction in their wake, bodies of guards and the alien soldiers cut in two and tossed aside carelessly. Thor said a silent prayer to his people and carried on. He could not let the enemies get their hands on the Tesseract.

At the inner courtyard, the fight was still going on. Fandral and Volstagg were facing off against Midnight, and didn’t seem to be faring very well. Glaive was nowhere in sight.

“Go,” Hela told him. “I’ll deal with her.” There was a savage glint in her eyes, and Thor hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in getting her to fight.

Still, he didn’t have time for second guessing now.

He made his way through the palace in the direction of the vaults, fighting aliens as he went. It worried him that the things had gotten so far into the palace, yet there was nothing he could do about it now.

It was the noise that confirmed Glaive’s location. The Destroyer had been activated and was trying to stop the intruder, using its fiery blasts. Glaive parried them with his weapon, jumped up and impaled the guardian, which fell uselessly to the ground.

Thor summoned lightening to throw at the enemy, but Glaive was able to get out of the way in time, and launched a counter attack. The alien was incredibly fast, and his glaive gave him greater reach than Thor, who was having trouble finding an opening.

As the battle continued, they went deeper into the vault. Thor hadn’t realized where he was being maneuvered until he saw the blue glow of the Tesseract. Glaive smiled in satisfaction and pressed the attack. He swung his weapon, taking out a chunk of the wall when Thor dodged out of the way, and followed up with a kick. This time Thor wasn’t fast enough, and the hit connected painfully.

The momentary distraction was all Glaive needed. He grabbed the Tesseract and ran out.

“No!” Thor yelled. He took flight, chasing after him, but Glaive anticipated this and ducked down, thrusting his weapon upwards as Thor passed him. His armor took the brunt of the blow, but he lost control of his trajectory and crashed into a wall, which cracked and fell on him.

By the time he recovered, Glaive had disappeared again, no doubt heading back to his ship. Thor exited the vault and looked around wildly, searching, but could not see Glaive or Midnight anywhere.

Then he saw a familiar face.

“Sylvi!” Thor yelled. “Go to the Bifrost! You have to warn Loki in Midgard! Tell him that Thanos is coming.”

She pushed at the aliens surrounding her with an orange-colored spell and disappeared.

Thor put on a burst of speed, trying to reach the ship before it could take off. So intent was he on his target that he failed to see the small ship until it was too late. There was no more time to move; it hit him dead on. The impact send him to the ground with enough force to make a huge crater where he landed. Two of the soldiers climbed out of the wreckage and came at him, their many limbs tearing at him.

Thor called on lightening and killed the creatures, but by then it was too late. The ship had already gained altitude. It was too far for him to catch it now. As it went, it fired a few more energy blasts at the Palace and at the Bifrost. The Rainbow Bridge collapsed into the water below, taking the Bifrost Observatory with it.

Thor could only hope Sylvi had made it in time.

Unfortunately, the alien soldiers were still everywhere. The battle was far from over.


	3. Chapter 2 - First wave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The narrative for this story isn't completely linear, since we're going to different parts of the universe to check in with various characters/groups. I think it's clear enough, but if you have questions, feel free to ask.

**Earth**

“So I had this bizarre dream last night,” Tony said around his last mouthful of hot dog. Damn, this was good. Such a pity that it was gone. Maybe he should have another one. Loki watched him with an expression that was part disgust and part fondness. “We were in the lab and there was this kid there. A little kid, like… a toddler. With green eyes.”

“And this has some kind of significance?” Loki asked. A couple of joggers passed by them and did a double take. One immediately took out his phone and snapped a photo. Loki rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Tony.

Walking around in New York always meant having to deal with gawkers and the paparazzi, but sometimes it was worth it. Loki looked amazing in the sun, and it was always a treat to see him being exasperated with humans’ “insane need to gossip”, as he put it, though Tony was well aware that he collected all photos taken of them. Why, Tony didn’t know, and he wasn’t going to ask. He thought it was cute.

“It was just… this kid in my dream kinda looked like you.”

Loki raised an eyebrow and waited. Tony wished he hadn’t brought it up. He had no idea why he’d done it in the first place. So what if he’d had a weird dream about a little kid that looked like a combination of Loki and Tony? It didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t like… that… would ever be a possibility. Loki had told him that the stories about him having monster children were all false (which was good, because those were really _really_ fucked up). And Tony wasn’t even sure that he _wanted_ to have children. In fact, he’d always thought that would be a very _very_ bad idea. After all, he hadn’t had the greatest role model of fatherhood. And neither had Loki, come to think of it. They were probably the last people in the universe who should have children, never mind whatever Tony’s subconscious was trying to tell him.

“I’m still not clear what you’re talking about,” Loki said, now looking at him strangely.

Tony wasn’t sure if his lover was being deliberately obtuse or if he really didn’t get it. “Never mind.” It was silly anyway. Bad idea. It had just been a stupid dream, nothing to do with reality at all – now or in the future. Best to just let it go. They had plenty to worry about, anyway, what with continuing to organize the Earth’s Defense Squad and… everything else.

“Darling–”

Since he didn’t want to continue the conversation anymore, Tony reached up and kissed Loki in the hopes of distracting him. Loki was smart enough to know what Tony was doing, but he allowed it. And _that_ was why Tony loved him. Well, one of the many reasons, at least. There was also the fact that he was smart and hot and sexy and amazing. Yep, he had it bad.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation,” came a voice from behind them, and Tony reluctantly let go of Loki to see Stephen Strange and Wong emerging from a portal. That could not be good.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked. Strange seemed agitated, which was unusual. The man was pretty unflappable as far as Tony had seen. Wong was his usual inscrutable self, but there was a tension in his posture that Tony had never seen.

A young woman come from the portal behind them and made a beeline for Loki, taking his hands.

“My Prince, Asgard is under attack. Thanos is coming.”

Tony felt himself freeze. Shit. They weren’t ready. They weren’t anywhere _near_ ready. They weren’t _ready_. _Fuck_.

“We should talk at the Sanctum,” Strange said, and Tony noticed that a crowd was gathering around them.

They stepped into the portal and were transported to Strange’s place. Tony had been there a few times since they’d met the sorcerer and his weird Order, and it had definitely not had a giant hole in the ceiling.

“Doing some redecorating?” Tony asked, trying very hard not to give in to the panic that threatened to overwhelm him.

Strange ignored him, and Loki took the opportunity to introduce the woman. Her name was Sylvi and she was one of the sorceresses of Asgard – and a former student of Loki. One of the people who had been happy to learn Loki was alive. Tony liked her on principle.

“Tell us what happened, Sylvi.”

“We detected the ships several hours ago. One big one and several smaller ones. The big one was bigger than any we’d ever seen. King Thor ordered the people to safety and began marshalling our defenses, but they attacked too swiftly. I was sent to warn you, my Prince.”

“How did you get here?” Tony asked, eyeing the damage to the Sanctum. That didn’t look like the Bifrost. Or Loki’s skywalking.

“The Bifrost.” She looked at the destruction around her. “I… It must have been damaged. Their ships had breached the dome around the city. The aliens were everywhere, and there were so many of them… We were overwhelmed.”

“Was Thanos there?” Loki asked. His posture was tense, which Tony could not blame him for. “Was Thor…?”

She shook her head. “I do not know. King Thor was fighting. He sent me to the Bifrost because I can teleport, and thus get there quickly. I know he sent messengers to the other realms as well, but I don’t think there was time for a response from any of them.”

“What did they want? Were they after the Tesseract?” _Did they get it?_ That was what Tony was truly worried about. If Thanos got his hands on the Tesseract, he could open a portal and be at Earth’s door in seconds.

She shook her head. “I do not know. There was so much confusion. It was hard to see what was going on.”

“I need to go there,” Loki said, jaw clenched tight. “I have to help Thor. Make sure Thanos doesn’t get the Tesseract.”

Tony didn’t like that idea at all. “We need to prepare too. We have to warn Vision.” He took out his phone to relay the instructions to Jarvis, then turned back to Strange. “Any chance you can… I don’t know… get rid of that thing?”

The amulet in Strange’s neck might not look like much, but it was immensely powerful. The goddam Time Stone.

“We are the Guardians of the Stone,” the sorcerer replied.

Even though they had kept in touch since Tony had learned about this whole Master of the Mystic Arts thing, Tony still didn’t know Strange all that well. He liked Wong well enough, but Strange could be a bit of a prick sometimes (and yes, he was well aware that Rhodey called it ‘the pot calling the kettle black’). Now was one of those times. Here was Tony desperately trying to keep panic at bay, and the idiot was puffing up like a peacock about being a goddam guardian.

“Darling,” Loki said, drawing Tony’s attention away from Strange. “I have to go to Asgard.”

“But I don’t want you to go,” was his rather whiny response. Somehow, whenever they’d talked about facing Thanos, Tony had envisioned them standing side by side, watching each other’s back. If Loki went off to Asgard, he might never come back – and Tony would have no way to go after him. With the Bifrost destroyed, he might not even be able to talk to someone there.

Loki flinched a little. “I don’t exactly want to go either, but… Thor is in trouble. He’s my brother. I have to… I have to help him.”

Thor and Loki really had come a long way since their reconciliation. Fighting together against their surprise sister had brought them even closer together, as had everything Thor had done since to get people to accept – and trust – Loki again. Tony hadn’t seen Thor himself since he had returned to Asgard to be crowned king, but from Loki’s reports, he had grown a lot.

“Promise me you’ll come back?” He realized how utterly ridiculous (and childish) he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. It felt like he and Loki had just found each other (it had actually been a couple of years – not nearly long enough in Tony’s estimation), and there was still too much he wanted to do. So much to share and learn and a whole lifetime to live. Well, his anyway. Loki was likely to outlive him by a lot, provided he didn’t get killed now.

“I promise I will do my best.” He took Tony’s hand and kissed it.

“Your priority must be to secure the Tesseract,” Strange said, completely ruining the moment. Asshole.

“And what about that?” Tony asked, pointing to the Stone the sorcerer carried, getting back to his original point. “Guarding it is all well and good, but it doesn’t need to actually be _on_ you, does it? Can’t you hide it somewhere?”

Strange huffed. “I’m quite sure Thanos would be able to find it no matter how well I hid it. If it’s with me, then that means I can defend it at least.”

“Yeah, or he can just kill you and take it off your corpse.”

“I’m not that easy to kill,” Strange retorted. Tony wanted to hit him.

“This is getting us nowhere,” Wong interject. “We need to focus.”

Tony sighed. “You’re right. I…”

“I will come back as soon as I can,” Loki said, and it was as much of a promise and he could make, Tony knew. “Don’t do anything foolish. Be safe. I love you.” They shared a quick kiss that made Tony long for more – for so _so_ much more –, then stepped away. “Sylvi, we must go.”

There was so much Tony wanted to say, yet the words stuck on his throat. Then Loki and Sylvi were gone, and there was no more time. Shit. He should have said ‘I love you’ back. Why hadn’t he said that? God, what a moron. He had said it before, of course, but this could have been his last chance, and he had just wasted it, standing there like an idiot. He should have–

“Stark.” Wong sounded sympathetic, like he understood. He put a supportive hand on his shoulder, and Tony appreciated the gesture.

With an effort, Tony got back to the matter at hand, sending a grateful look at Wong. Right. Thanos might be coming. They had to… do something.

“Jarvis, are you there?”

“For you, Sir, always.”

The voice and the words were familiar and comforting, and Tony realized he really needed that now. _This is not the time for a panic attack_ , he told himself firmly. _This is what we’ve been working towards. We got this_. Even if Loki was not here. He could do this. He had to.

“Tony? What’s going on?” That was his Rhodey-bear, and it was one more thing Tony needed to ground himself. He was not alone. Even with Loki back in Asgard, Tony still had friends and allies he could rely on. It wasn’t gonna be another Utron.

“We’ve just got word from Asgard,” he replied. “They’re under attack. Probably Thanos.”

“Shit.”

“He’s likely heading here next. We need to get everyone ready.” There were a lot of people to talk to, from world leaders to the Accords Councilors and local forces all around the world. They could not expect another bottleneck invasion.

Fuck. They weren’t ready.

“I’ll let the Council know. Any ETA?”

Tony shook his head. “No idea.”

 _Focus, Tony_. One thing at a time.

Wong and Strange were having a whispered conversation a few feet away, both tense and worried, of course. The ends of Strange’s Cloak were whisking back and forth nervously, the lapels shaking just a tiny bit. Strange’s hair was also swaying gently. That was odd.

“Say, Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, would you?”

Strange looked at him. “Not at the moment, no.”

There was a distant rumble and Tony got a little closer to the hole in the ceiling. There was debris flying by outside. _Shit_. Heart in his throat, he made his way out of the Sanctum, Wong and Strange at his heels.

There was chaos. A strong wind was blowing paper and garbage all over the place. Traffic had pretty much stopped. People were screaming and running away, abandoning cars and everything else. A woman fell a couple of feet from him and Tony helped her up. She barely registered who he was, resuming her running the second she was upright again. A car came careening off the road to hit a pole, which caused it to fall almost on Tony’s head. Wong helped the driver get out.

“Jarvis? Friday? What am I looking at here?” Tony put on his special glasses as he continued up the street, trying to find the epicenter of whatever this was.

“Not sure, Boss.”

“I am detecting anomalous readings, Sir.”

Strange jogged up to catch up with him. “What’s going on?”

“You might want to put that thing in your pocket, Doc,” Tony said just as they rounded the corner and stopped dead. Wong almost collided with his back.

There was a huge doughnut shaped ship floating at the end of the street. Tony fought down his panic again. _Focus, damn it_ , he told himself.

“Rhodey? You still there?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m here. What’s going on, Tony?”

“I got that ETA for you. It’s right fucking _now_. The ship is already here. I’m staring right at it.”

“Fuck.”

 _You can say that again_ , Tony thought.

An ugly looking alien with sickly gray skin stepped down from the ship, surveying the people and the city as if it was something dirty he’d found on the bottom of his shoe. Tony wanted to blast him (was it a male? did aliens have gender? it looked male-ish) to pieces.

“Hear me, and rejoice,” the guy said in a whiny superior tone. “You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributing to–”

Yeah, Tony wasn’t going to listen to that crap. “I'm sorry, Earth is closed today. You better pack it up and get outta here.” He used his best ‘Tony fucking Stark’ voice, projecting as much confidence as he could. _Fake it till you make it_ was his motto, and right now he was faking it for all he was worth. Damn. He wished Loki was here. The guy was barely gone twenty minutes and already Tony missed him like crazy.

The alien ignored him and addressed Strange. “Stonekeeper. Does this chattering animal speak for you?”

Strange drew himself up. “Certainly not. I speak for myself.” He magicked a golden shield in front of his hands and Wong did the same. “But you’re trespassing in this city and on this planet.”

“It means get lost, Squidward!” Tony shouted.

Their words had no effect on the alien. “He exhausts me,” he said, and gestured to another – much larger – alien with a big-ass hammer that came out of the ship behind him. “Bring me the Stone.”

Tony looked at his companions. “Show time, people.”

The suit engulfed him – thank god for the nanotech he’d invented. This was really not the time to have been caught out without the suit. The nanos were powered by the Arc Reactor, but that was no longer embedded in his chest, just sort of glued to his skin (with plenty of failsafes to make sure it couldn’t be stolen). It had been really fortunate that Loki had come to his aid in Siberia as quick as he had, or Tony might not have had a choice with the Reactor. That blow from Rogers could have done some serious damage. Once the faceplate closed up, he heard Rhodey’s voice in his ear.

“Tony, I’ve called the police and the army to try to evacuate people and set up a perimeter. We’ve got jets on the way to try to get the ship away from the area. And I’ve called Bruce. He’s on his way.”

Having Bruce back was going to come in handy now. Plus, Tony had actually missed him. It was nice to have his science bro back – and even better given that Bruce and Hulk were now more of a team. That meant Hulk wasn’t letting Bruce run away anymore, and made Bruce apologize to Tony for not backing him up with the Avengers during the Ultron mess. He apologized for leaving too, but Tony couldn’t really fault him for that, seeing as how he had accidentally entered a portal out of the planet.

“Good. Tell Vision to get the hell away from here, though. The last thing we need is for these guys to get ahold of two Infinity Stones.”

Then he was too busy fighting for his life to give any further instructions. The Big Alien might be strong, but it was clear that Squidward was the most dangerous one – he was smarter and seemed to have telekinetic powers. He used everything around him as a weapon, and could control multiple objects at once. The fucker had really good aim too. Strange and Wong tried to portal them away to minimize collateral damage, but the aliens were smart enough to evade them.

Wong wasn’t able to shield himself in time and got knocked down by a flying car thrown by Squidward. It caused Strange to be distracted long enough that the alien was able to wrap him up in pieces of metal he got from the destroyed cars. Tony cursed but didn’t have time to help him – Giant was about to squash a dazed Wong. He threw a couple of small missiles at Giant, which were batted aside with his hammer like they were nothing. But at least it got the alien’s attention; more importantly, it got him away from Wong.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Strange had managed to free himself and was battling Squidward. Then he focused back on his own problems.

“Fuck,” Tony muttered to himself as he tried to stay out of the Giant’s reach. He didn’t want to get too far, though, in case it made the thing go back to Wong, and that put him at a disadvantage. “Wong, get up! You’re missing all the fun.”

The sorcerer finally stumbled to his feet, blood dripping from his head, and clumsily tried to make a portal. Giant roared something in a language Tony didn’t understand and lunged for Wong, way faster than Tony would have given him credit for.

The hit didn’t connect, though. A web attached itself to the hammer and the alien was yanked back.

 **“** Hey, man. What’s up, Mr. Stark?” Spider-Man said while Wong scrambled to safety.

 **“** Kid, where’d you come from?” he asked as he and Peter doubled up to attack Giant.

 **“** Field trip to MoMA.”

Great. Now he had a teenager to worry about on top of everything else.

Giant grabbed Peter’s leg and threw him away, but the kid twisted himself mid-air, webbed a tree and swung around to deliver a kick to the alien’s head.

“What is this guy’s problem, Mr Stark?”

Fuck, that kid was going to give Tony a heart attack. “He’s from space. He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard.” Shit, where was Strange? He couldn’t see him or Squidward anymore. “Kid, you need to find Strange. He has one of the Stones and we can’t let the aliens get it. Jarvis, help him and Karen.”

“Okay. On it, Mr Stark.” He webbed up the Giant and took off.

Tony hoped he hadn’t just sent the kid to his death. Peter had been training with them for a while, but he was still far from being ready – mostly because he was still _underage_ , dammit.

“Sir, Dr Banner is en route,” Jarvis told him.

“Good.”

While Giant tried to get away from the webs, Tony took the opportunity to check on Wong, who still seemed a bit woozy.

“I’m fine,” Wong said, though he accepted Tony’s help to stand. “Where’s Strange? We need–”

Giant roared as he freed himself, and Tony and Wong had to scramble out of the way of the hammer that was tossed their way.

“Damn it, this thing won’t stay down,” Tony said. Jarvis alerted him to bystanders in danger, which he relayed to Wong while he tried, once again, to take the alien down. Tony had more powerful weapons, but he couldn’t risk using it in such a populated area, and the lower charges weren’t doing much good.

The next car thrown clipped him and sent him crashing into the ground. Then he heard a familiar roar and a moment later the Hulk had landed next to Giant. “Hulk SMASH!” he yelled, and the fight was on.

“Peter, where are you? Where’s Strange?” Tony left the Hulk to deal with Big Alien and Wong to get people to safety and flew after Squidward and Strange.

“Mr Stark, help! We’re being beamed up!” came the frantic response.

“Hang on, kid.” Tony could see them now. Strange seemed to be unconscious, lying in a slab of concrete with what looked like telephone cables wrapped around him, going farther away with every passing second. Peter was hanging on behind them, one of his webs connected to the ‘pod’. Shit. “J, I need more juice.” The boot repulsors fused together into a larger jet and he was able to go faster. “Also, Unlock 17-A.” He had to get Peter out of here

The door to the ship opened and Strange got inside.

“Peter, you gotta let go. I’m gonna catch you.” The kid was too high up, Tony could see was having trouble breathing.

“Can’t breathe,” Peter wheezed.

“Yeah, I know. Just let go.”

Peter did – though Tony wasn’t sure if he’d done it by choice or if he had simply passed out – and the pod with the Iron Spider suit caught him. He hadn’t wanted to give that to the kid just yet, but it was an emergency.

“Friday, get him back to safety.”

“Got it, Boss.”

“Hey, I’m feeling better now,” Peter said, having probably gotten enough oxygen to regain consciousness. Damn, the kid healed fast.

“Great. Go home,” Tony replied, distracted but glad at least the kid would be all right.

He finally reached the ship and cut a hole through the hull to get it. Now all he had to do was find Strange and get the hell out of here.

Unfortunately, before he even got very far, he felt the whole ship tremble and lurch slightly. When he managed to find a porthole, he realized he was no longer on Earth.

The ship had jumped into hyperspace.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone is wondering why the Outriders didn't show up on Earth as they did in Asgard... Well, that's because, in the movie, they only come later, for the battle in Wakanda. Since I'm following the movie, we get only Maw and Obsidian for now. The explanation in my head is that Maw was overconfident and didn't think he'd need it.


	4. Chapter 3 - Guardians of the Galaxy

**Space / Knowhere**

After they had departed from what was left of Xandar, they had drifted for a while, unsure what to do and where to go. Rocket was all for going very _very_ far away, but no one else felt the same. Since Thanos’s plan was to get all the Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers, as Gamora had said, running away wouldn’t guarantee their survival at all. Their best option was to find Thanos and stop him before that could happen. Rocket thought the whole thing was completely insane. How was wiping out half of all life supposed to do anything for the balance of the universe, Thanos’s supposed goal? All it would do was fuck up everything. It was bonkers. And trying to stop him seemed equally insane – and a good way to get themselves killed.

They spent a lot of time debating what to do next. They didn’t know where the other Stones were, so they had no idea where Thanos would go next, or whether he already had more than the Power Stone. And that one was already bad enough. They had seen firsthand what it was capable of, and that had been without any real idea of how to use it. Combined with even one more of the others, it might make Thanos unbeatable. If he wasn’t already.

Power, Space, Reality, Mind, Time and Soul. Those were the six Infinity Stones, which controlled different aspects of the universe. According to the story Gamora had told them, the Stones had been forged along with the birth of the universe. Ancient, powerful and way beyond regular beings’ understanding. Rocket considered himself a knowledgeable guy, but even he couldn’t make heads or tails of them. Using them was also extremely dangerous. The only reason Quill (and the rest of their ragtag band of ‘Guardians’) had survived was because of Quill’s ‘cosmic’ parentage. Had he been a regular human, he would have ended up as ashes on the floor. It would probably have happened anyway, if Rocket and the others hadn’t lent their own essence, or whatever it was, to him at a critical moment. Regardless, they had escaped by the skin of their teeth. What were the odds they’d be able to do it again?

Why didn’t anyone _listen_ to him?

“So how is Thanos planning to use them at all?” Rocket asked as they tried to figure out what to do. Thanos might be a powerful Titan, yet that couldn’t possibly be enough for something as primal as the Infinity Stones.

“He has a Gauntlet,” Gamora replied. “I don’t know where he got it, but he says it would enable him to use the Stones, even all of them simultaneously, without being killed.”

“So, what if _we_ get this Gauntlet?” Quill proposed.

“Oh, sure,” Rocket said with an eye roll. “I’m sure if we ask him nicely he will just hand it right over.”

“I wasn’t suggesting we _ask_ him.”

“You want to steal it,” Mantis said.

Quill nodded. “Well, yeah. Of course.”

“Well, if we can do that, we might as well kill the bastard, right? I mean, he could just get another one otherwise,” Rocket said.

“I am Groot,” Groot agreed, his attention still mostly on the damn videogame. He’d gotten back to it after Xandar had been left behind. Rocket really was going to chuck that thing out into space one of these days. Although, after what they saw on the planet, maybe the guy needed the distraction. Rocket sure wished he could think about something else.

“Yes, we must kill Thanos. I will have my revenge for the murder of my wife and daughter,” Drax added. “He has evaded me until now, but no more. I will kill him.” He crossed his arms in front of him, looking stoic.

Rocket thought about telling Drax that if they could barely handle Ronin, they didn’t have a hope in hell of actually killing Thanos. It would fall on death ears, though. Drax wasn’t exactly the brightest guy in the universe, which he made up for it in sheer stubbornness.

“We need a plan,” Rocket said. “If we just show up and fight him, we’ll end up dead. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not ready to die. I haven’t even spent most of the credits we got from that last job.” Before Quill could open his mouth, Rocket continued. “And Quill will not be making the plans. Quill’s plans suck.”

“Hey! That’s not true,” Quill complained.

“It is,” Gamora and Rocket spoke almost at the same time.

Groot looked up from his videogame to say “I am Groot,” then returned to it.

Mantis nodded and so did Drax.

Quill crossed his arms and pouted. Gamora laughed and sat on his lap. “We will come up with something. Together,” she said.

After more discussion, they eventually decided that the only lead they had was Knowhere. The Collector knew about the Infinity Stones, so they figured he might know something about where the others were. There was, of course, no guarantee that he would actually tell them anything even if he knew, yet it was all they had, so that was where they were going. Once they had more information, they could figure out their next step.

The course was set, and everyone but Quill, Gamora and Rocket left to get some rest – or whatever they did – before they arrived. Rocket stayed to keep an eye on the controls since he didn’t trust Quill not to get… distracted… with Gamora around. Those two were disgusting, he thought. Quill in particular. Rocket wondered if all humans were like that, or if it was just Quill. Maybe they could go to Earth sometime after all this was over – assuming they would still be alive, that was. Quill was always talking about how cool his planet was, even if the technology there was probably pathetic. They didn’t even have proper space ships. Ridiculous.

In the meantime, Rocket sat quietly, trying not to think that they could be flying to their deaths. Quill prattled incessantly about how they were going to defeat Thanos once and for all, showing off for Gamora like he always did. Gamora, for her part, smiled indulgently. These days she didn’t even seem all that scary anymore. At least, not when she was around Quill. Idiots. Rocket ignored them and tinkered with the couplings in his hands for something to do.

“Gamora,” Quill said. “Do you know if these grenades are the ‘blow off your junk’ kind or the gas kind? ‘Cause I was thinking I might hang a couple on my belt right here. But I don’t want to–”

She interrupted him. “I need to ask a favor.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“One way or another, the path that we’re on leads to Thanos.”

“Which is what the grenades are for.” Gamora glared at him and he relented. “I’m sorry. What’s the favor?”

“If things go wrong… If Thanos gets me… I want you to promise me… you’ll kill me.”

“What?” Quill asked, confused. Rocket was pretty confused too. What kind of stupid favor was that? Who asked someone to kill them and call it a favor? Was he surrounded by nutcases? (Yeah, he kinda was. Again, they were _his_ nutcases.) Wasn’t ultimately staying alive the whole point of this crazy plan?

“I know something he doesn’t. If he finds out… the entire Universe could be at risk.”

Oh great, more doomsday talk. Wasn’t the universe at risk _already_? Thanos simply being alive put the universe at risk, since the guy was intent on fucking it up. Really, what was it with these megalomanical people? Why couldn’t they set a more reasonable goal? One that didn’t involve killing people, preferably.

Quill frowned. “What do you know?”

“If I tell you, you’d know, too.”

 _Well, duh_ , Rocket wanted to say. He refrained, though, waiting to see where this was going.

“If it’s so important, shouldn’t I?”

“Only if you wanna die.”

“Why does somebody always have to die in this scenario?” Quill whined.

Yeah, Rocket didn’t like it either. If someone had to die, it should be Thanos, not them.

“Just… trust me. And possibly, kill me.”

“Are you both crazy?” Rocket interjected once it seemed that Gamora had nothing more to say. “We’re doing this whole crazy thing of going after the Stones so we _won’t_ get killed, and now you want Quill to kill you? What’s the matter with you?” aside from actually liking _Quill_ , of course. There was clearly no accounting for taste there.

“I don’t want to die,” Gamora replied. “But we can’t let Thanos find out what I know.”

“Then you stay on the ship.” Rocket said. Really, why did those idiots always have to make everything to complicated? Why was everyone always so hell-bent on being martyrs? Being alive was so much better. Why was Rocket the only one with sense in this group?

“I can’t let you guys face him alone. I know him better than any of you. I know how he works.” Her face took on a look of fierce determination. “I want him dead. I will _kill_ him. Or I’ll die trying.”

“I vote for we kill him,” Quill said.

“Yeah, me too,” Rocket agreed. “And I vote that no one but Thanos dies. Well, his soldiers too. Everyone who is on his side, really.” Anyone who isn’t part of their little team.

Quill nodded. “Yep, sounds good.”

The ship beeped, putting the conversation to an end. They were here. Oh joy.

Quill called everyone and they clustered around the viewscreen.

“This place looks deserted,” Quill said.

Rocket checked the information feed. “I’m reading movement from the third quadrant. That’s the Collector’s place, isn’t it?” Quill nodded, and Rocket set their course to that location.

They landed as near it as they could without attracting too much attention and sneaked in. Rocket had a really bad feeling about all this. There was something… spooky… about the place. Something that didn’t seem quite right. The sooner they got the info they needed and got out of here, the better he’d feel. Then he would only have to worry about the next suicide mission they’d need to go on.

The Collector’s room was pretty much as he remembered it from the first time they’d visited – before it had exploded, of course. Those creepy displays were still there, as were the shiny items in every available surface. Rocket’s finger itched to take at least a few of them. Surely the Collector wouldn’t miss a couple of things, right? He had so many things, he probably didn’t even know all of it.

Then they heard voices, and Rocket’s blood ran cold at Gamora’s startled gasp. Thanos was fucking there already. Shit. He was talking to the Collector. No doubt he was looking for the same information Rocket and his friends were, and he’d gotten here first. They were screwed.

The bastard was even bigger in person than Rocket had imagined, and he had an air of menace that made his fur stand on end. Rocket didn’t exactly consider himself a coward – merely someone with a healthy dose of sense-preservation, unlike other people he could name – but right now he was definitely scared. Quill and Gamora were crazy if they thought they had any chance against this guy who had destroyed dozens of planets. And who had a fucking Infinity Stone.

“I don’t have it,” the Collector said, looking remarkably calm for someone who was standing toe to toe with the Mad Titan. Rocket had to admire the guy’s balls, though it would probably not do him much good in the end.

“Everyone in the Galaxy knows you’d sell your own brother if you thought it would add the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection. I know you have the Reality Stone, Tivan. Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering.” 

Well, that was not good at all. The Collector had the Reality Stone? How the hell had he managed to get his hands on it? And if he didn’t have it anymore, who did?

“I told you. I sold it. Why would I lie?”

Thanos scoffed. “I imagine it’s like breathing for you.”

“Like suicide.”

Yep, it sure sounded like suicide. Rocket was beginning to see why Gamora had asked that favor, crazy as it was. If one had to die, at least it shouldn’t be at the hands of a maniac. Especially one that looked like he could crush you with his bare hands, no Stones necessary.

“So you do understand. Not even you would surrender something so precious.”

“I didn’t know what it was.” The Collector shook his head, but Rocket knew he was lying. He’d figured out the Power Stone pretty easily before, why should this other Stone be any different?

“Then you’re more of a fool than I took you for. Last chance, charlatan. Where’s the Stone?” Quick as lightening, Thanos grabbed the Collector by the throat and lifted him up like it was nothing.

 _Shit shit shit_ , Rocket thought, exchanging a worried glance with Quill and Gamora. Drax made as if to get up to confront Thanos, the reckless idiot, but Mantis was quicker and held him back, using her powers to make him sleepy. Fuck, Drax was going to get them all killed. Again.

When the Collector didn’t say anything, Thanos threw him into a collecting case, then turned in the direction where Rocket and the others were hiding, like he knew they were there. _Shit_. Damn Drax and his stubbornness.

“Okay. Gamora, Mantis, you go right.” Quill said. “I’m–” 

She didn’t wait for him to finish, leaping on Thanos from a stack of boxes and swinging her sword at him. He snapped the blade in half, and Gamora stabbed him in the throat with the stub. His lower jaw sagged and he let out a hoarse groan. Then Gamora stabbed him in the chest with a dagger for good measure.

 _Wow_ , Rocket thought. _That was impressive_.

“Why?” Thanos choked out as he fell. “Why you? Daughter…” He held out his hand to her, blood pooling out from his neck wound, before collapsing completely.

Gamora took a step back and fell to her knees, sobbing. Rocket hoped that was relief, and not something stupid like remorse. Or, worse, grief.

Rocket exchanged a surprised look with Quill. “That was quick.”

Suddenly, Thanos’s disembodied voice filled the room. “Is it sadness I sense in you, daughter? In my heart, I knew you still cared. But one ever knows for sure. Reality is often disappointing.”

The world around them shimmered and the entire scene changed. The room was completely destroyed, even worse than after the Power Stone had exploded. There were small fires everywhere and ash drifting through in the air and getting in their lungs as they breathed. The Collector also disappeared. He was probably dead already.

Fuck. Thanos already had the Reality Stone. The fucker was just playing with them.

“Now reality can be whatever I want.”

And there was Thanos, alive and undamaged, the red Reality Stone shining next to the purple Power Stone in the Gauntlet he wore in his left hand. He faced Gamora, a small smile on his face.

“I knew you’d come,” he told her. “There’s something we need to discuss, little one.”

Gamora hesitated for a beat, then reached for her broken sword, but Thanos was faster and grabbed her by the back of the neck, swinging her around in front of him, effectively using her body as a shield.

Drax obviously didn’t care about that. He came out from behind the box where Mantis had left him and leapt at the Titan. “Thanos! For Ovette! For Camaria!”

Mantis followed him with her best attempt at a growl, which wasn’t very effective at all.

Rocket pointed his gun and fired, aiming for Thanos’s head in order to cause a distraction, since he doubted his gun would do any harm to the Titan.

The shot never hit. With a pulse of the Reality Stone, Drax, Mantis and Rocket were… disassembled – Drax was turned into a stack of tumbling cubes, Mantis into jigsaw puzzle pieces and Rocket dissolved into ribbons.

It was the most terrifying experience of his life, and for a while Rocket couldn’t think past the horror of being literally unmade. He wanted to scream but his mouth refused to obey – half of it was in one ribbon and the rest in another – it was like his body had been stretched in a thousand different directions. He wanted to move, to curl into a little ball and hide away, but his body didn’t respond to his commands, like every part had been disconnected. He couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t smell – the world was far away, completely out of his reach.

_Stop stop STOP. Put me back. Put me back. PUT ME BACK!_

He couldn’t even scream.

If he’d been able to breathe, he would have been hyperventilating in absolute panic. But not being able to breathe was even worse.

 _Please put me back_.

After what felt like an eternity, he became aware of something outside the screaming within his own mind. There was something, some kind of pressure. Rocket concentrated with all he had on it and finally heard something.

“I am Groot.” His friend’s voice was shaky and distressed. “I am Groot? I am Groot!”

Groot brought the scattered bits of Rocket back together, and somehow that aligned his eyes well enough that he could see again. Sort of. It was more like looking through a dirty broken glass wall. Rocket focused on making sense of what was going on out there to keep from panicking again. He still couldn’t move, but at least he felt somewhat safer with Groot holding him.

Thanos was still had Gamora pressed against him. Quill had his gun out, but there was no way he was going to shoot her. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of before, Rocket realized. Thanos was going to get whatever it was she knew out of her, and there was nothing any of them could do it. Quill sure as hell wasn’t going to shoot her.

“Let her go!” Quill yelled. “Or I’m gonna blow that nut sack of a chin right off your face!”

Predictably, the threat had no effect. Thanos only looked amused, as if they were all beneath him and he was letting the conversation continue just for shits and giggles.

“Quill, please,” Gamora said. “You have to.”

Thanos laughed. “Oh, daughter. You expect too much from him.” He looked at Quill with contempt. “She’s asked you to kill her, hasn’t she? Do it.” For a while, no one said anything. Thanos rolled his head and shoved Gamora towards Quill’s gun, egging him on. “Do it!” When Quill didn’t move, Thanos laughed again. “You are pathetic.”

Gamora squirmed in the Titan’s grasp, yet couldn’t get free. “I love you, more than anything.” Her eyes locked with Quill in a desperate plea.

“I love you, too.”

Quill screwed up his eyes and pulled the trigger – but the only thing that came out of it was a stream of bubbles. Thanos was playing with him, like he’d been doing from the beginning. Nothing they did mattered. He would always have the upper hand as long as he had the Stones.

“I could kill you all, but I will be merciful. Perhaps you will survive the cleansing of the universe.”

The Reality Stone glowed red and Thanos and Gamora disappeared.

Quill dropped to his knees like a puppet with its strings cut. After a few moments, the effect of the Stone wore off and Rocket, Mantis and Drax’s bodies went back to normal. It was a real effort for Rocket not to clutch Groot and scream like a maniac. He couldn’t stop the shaking, though, and he noticed that Drax and Mantis weren’t faring much better. They were all a big mess.

 _Shit shit shit_.

For a while, no one said anything – not that there was anything to say. Rocket couldn’t even muster enough energy to care about Quill, mind still reeling from… that. He shuddered, and Groot held him tighter.

“I am Groot?”

No, he was not fucking all right. What kind of dumb question was that? How could any of them be all right?

Gamora was gone. Thanos had the Reality Stone. They were utterly and completely screwed.

What the hell were they supposed to do now?


	5. Chapter 4 - Battle and aftermath

**Asgard**

Loki and Sylvi arrived at a scene of utter chaos. In fact, they were almost bowled over by a group of many-limbed aliens. Loki hastily put up a shield to protect them and blasted the aliens back.

They were outside the Palace grounds, at the same spot he usually came out from the branches of Yggdrasil from Earth. Normally, it was quiet and secluded, allowing him the opportunity to make himself invisible in order to go where he wished. This time, there was nothing quiet about it; Asgard was under attack. Becoming invisible wouldn’t help him either, since he was likely to collide with either friend or foe in the confusion of the battlefield.

Sylvi pressed closer to him, watching the scene with wide eyes. Loki had seen his fair share of battles, yet somehow this seemed worse. Even the Dark Elves invasion a few years before hadn’t set his heart racing like this, though in truth he had not been as invested in Asgard as a whole at that time. With a deep breath to settle his nerves – Thanos could be here somewhere –, he took Sylvi’s arm to lead her to a less crowded location.

That, however, proved to be nearly impossible. The damn alien invaders seemed to be everywhere. Instead of trying to find his brother, Loki had to fight and dodge the damn things at every step. They were easy to kill, he discovered, but there seemed to be no end of them. He used magic and his daggers and continued to make his way towards the palace, Sylvi close behind him blasting aliens right and left with her own spells. It seemed to take forever.

There was too much confusion to actually see anything beyond one’s immediate surroundings, let alone find anyone, so Loki just kept going, hoping to find _something_ that would tell him where Thor was and if he was all right. All around him Asgard’s warriors were battling the aliens, some faring better than others. Loki tried to help when he could, preventing a few guards from being ambushed or overwhelmed. He got some acknowledgment in response from one or two, while the rest could not spare the attention to even notice him. They were all fighting for their lives.

 _More people will die_ , he thought. The realm had barely recovered from Malekith’s incursion, then there was Hela’s and now Thanos. Would there be any warriors left at the end of this?

A noise made him look up, and there was Thor, crashing down with Mjolnir into a cluster of aliens, frying them all with his lightening. Loki took Sylvi’s hand and teleported them closer to his brother.

“Thor!” he shouted.

Thor’s cape was in tatters, and he was covered in blood and alien parts, but he seemed unharmed. He didn’t hear Loki, though, and took off only to bring Mjolnir down again a little further away, taking out another group of aliens. Then he staggered and nearly fell over. He recovered quickly and was off once more before Loki could reach him. _Damn_.

An alien ship came flying in Loki’s direction, and he was forced to jump out of the way. By the time he had regained his footing, he had lost sight of Thor again.

He heard a groan, and realized that Sylvi was injured.

“What’s wrong?”

She grimaced. “My leg. I landed badly.”

“Healing magic isn’t my specialty, but let me see what I can do.” He cast a protective shield around them and set to work mending her leg. Fortunately, it was not broken; she had simply twisted her ankle in the fall. His magic flared green for a moment, and then he helped her stand up. It would still be sensitive and a bit stiff, but she would be able to walk.

“Thank you,” she said.

He wanted to tell her to find somewhere to hide, to keep herself safe, yet he doubted there was any such place now. She was stuck here with him.

“Come on, then.”

As soon as the shield was down, the aliens were upon them, and they had to keep fighting – and moving. Loki occasionally saw familiar faces. Volstagg teamed up with him for a brief moment, before they went their separate ways. He also recognized some of the guards and General Juik, who was cutting through aliens with a crazed look in his eyes. There was no time to talk to any of them.

He had no idea how much time had passed since he’d arrived, but he was glad that Sylvi was still with him. Although she had never trained as a fighter, she was a powerful sorcerer and was holding her own well enough as far as he could see. In fact, there were plenty of sorcerers on the battlefield. It seemed that Thor’s increased acceptance of magic in the realm had paid off.

Eventually, they made their way to the entrance to the palace, walking past the alien corpses that littered the ground all around them, along with severed limbs, heads and lots of guts and entrails. It was, frankly, disgusting.

A couple of aliens came flying out of the door, a dark-haired figure following them. It was Hela. She had a sword in each hand and was slashing aliens as she moved, grinning in satisfaction as they fell. He was not surprised to see her here. Clearly they had needed all hands on deck for this invasion, and Hela was a good fighter. Plus, according to Thor, she had been doing much better in the last few months. Less homicidal and vengeful. Perhaps there would be hope for her after all.

“Hello, little brother,” she said after her enemies were all slaughtered. “Revolting creatures, aren’t they? They never end.” she sneered. “I’ve never seen beings such as these.”

“Nor have I,” he replied. He had expected Thanos to use the Chitauri again. Had Tony really destroyed them all with that nuke? As far as he knew, the Chitauri had been an engineered race, bred for combat. These were not very different, though. Loki wondered where Thanos had gotten them. Who was making these things? They were repulsive, and the idea that they had been created solely for this even more so.

“Where is Thor?” Loki asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since the ship took off.”

Loki’s eyes widened. “What?”

“There were two other aliens, different from these,” Hela said, impaling a soldier who had been sneaking up on them.

“Was one of them Thanos?”

Sylvi raised a shield around them, since the damn aliens wouldn’t stop attacking, so they could continue their conversation more or less in peace.

Hela shrugged. “I don’t think so. One was a female. She got away from me, and went back to the ship. The other was male, but he wasn’t big like Thor said this Thanos was supposed to be. He went into the vault, then came out. He used one of the smaller ships and got back into the big ship.”

Damn. That was not good. “Did they get the Tesseract?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see it, but then, I was kind of busy.”

They must have, Loki thought. Why else would they have left? He’d been too late. They’d lost the Tesseract.

Thanos had one of the Infinity Stones. The one that controlled Space, no less. That meant he would be able to go anywhere he wanted in a blink of an eye, no ships necessary. He could go to _Earth_.

He wanted to return there immediately and warn Tony and their friends. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Asgard was still in danger. Despite all their preparations, they were outnumbered and faltering. The Bifrost was gone, Loki realized now that he had the chance to look in that direction – the Bridge ended abruptly into the void, the entire Observatory missing. There would be no reinforcements from the other realms, even if they wanted to respond to Asgard’s message.

“How long ago was that?” he asked.

“Hard to say. A couple of hours? Feels like I’ve been fighting forever.”

Yeah, Loki knew the feeling. Still, at least there was a silver lining. If Thanos’s generals left in a ship, that meant it would probably be some time until they rendezvoused with him to give him the Stone. It gave them a little breathing room. Plus, Thor was alive and fighting. They could still come up with some sort of plan.

“Are there aliens still inside the palace?” he asked.

“Yeah, probably. I chased a few out here, but there must be more I missed.”

Loki sighed. “And the people?”

“Evacuated. Most of them, at least.”

“Good. Sylvi, come with me.” He turned to Hela. “If you see Thor, tell him I need to speak to him as soon as possible.” He gestured for Sylvi to take down the shield and they went their separate ways. Hela went outside while Loki and Sylvi went further into the palace.

They found many more aliens lurking about destroying everything they could reach, and dealt with them. There were guards still fighting, so Loki and Sylvi helped where they could. It seemed to take forever, but eventually the number of aliens started to decrease, at least within the palace.

Loki left Sylvi with the guards with instructions to find Lady Eir and returned to the outer courtyard. There the battle was still ongoing, though there seemed to be less aliens as well. He spotted Thor and Hela easily this time, fighting together – and doing remarkably well for siblings who barely knew each other.

Since they seemed to have the area around them well in hand, Loki teleported to a different location, one in which the guards were about to be overwhelmed. It was clear their strength was flagging, and the aliens were taking full advantage of it. Loki sent daggers into a couple of aliens, then blasted a few more with his magic. It gave the guards time to regroup, and soon all aliens were dead.

It was only then that he realized one of the warriors was Fandral. He was bleeding from numerous lashes on his arms and legs, and panting heavily.

“Are you all right?” Loki asked.

“I’ve been better,” Fandral replied, still catching his breath.

Many of the other guards were injured too, so Loki told them to gather close and teleported all of them to the infirmary to be seen to. They were in no condition to keep fighting. A couple of them protested when they realized where they were, but Fandral thanked Loki and got the others to settle as a couple of healers came by to check on them.

With a deep sigh, Loki went back into the fray.

He soon lost track of time, continuing with repetitive actions. He assisted Asgard’s troops in finishing off their opponents, then transported the injured to an increasingly chaotic infirmary. Again and again, until at last there were no more aliens to fight.

He was exhausted, having expended a lot of magic as well as the physical fights, but there was still a lot to do. He needed to find Thor, figure out their next move. Then he needed to go back to Earth. He needed to check on Tony. Norns, Loki hoped his lover was all right.

“Loki!”

He turned, and there was his brother, wearily making his way to him. He looked as wrecked as Loki felt. As soon as Thor was in reach, Loki embraced him, and almost fell as Thor seemed unable to stand anymore.

“Are you hurt? Thor?”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, though his voice was small and tired. “The Tesseract. It’s gone,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t stop them. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t, of course, but there was no point in condemnation and blame.

“I failed.” Thor managed to right himself and took a small step backwards. There was fear and regret in his eyes.

“You did all you could, Thor. This…” he shook his head and waved a hand at the devastation of the battlefield. “No one could have done better.”

Thor was still stuck on what had gone wrong. “The Bifrost has been destroyed.”

“I know. We can rebuild it.” It had been done before, when Thor had sent it crashing into the void to prevent Jotunheim from being obliterated. It would take time, but it could be done.

They would need to stop Thanos, though, or there would be no time for anything else.

“I have to go back to Earth.”

“Prince Loki! My King!”

They turned to see Hingl approaching rapidly, panting and out of breath. “What is it, Hingl?”

“The South Tower is in critical condition. A few of the alien ships hit it and de-stabilized the structure. We need help shoring it up.” The infirmary was right next to it. If the Tower collapsed, it could compromise the integrity of the infirmary as well.

“Let’s go,” Thor said, forgetting his own weariness in the face of his responsibilities to his people.

It took quite a long time – and the work of many sorcerers – to make sure the Tower wouldn’t fall on anyone’s head and wreck what was left of the palace, and by the end of it Loki could hardly keep his eyes open. He didn’t even remember being taken to the infirmary.

*****

When he finally woke, darkness had fallen fully. He got up slowly, assessing his own state of health, and concluded that he was as good as he was likely to be in the circumstances. The few wounds he had sustained had been treated and bandaged, and they had already begun to heal. It was time to go back out there, get more information and return to Earth.

“My Prince, are you sure you are well?” A tired looking young healer whose name he didn’t know asked once she saw him getting out of the bed.

“Yes, I’m quite all right, thank you.”

He looked around at the seemingly endless injured people taking up every available bed in the place – and some were resting on the floor, leaning against walls and even other beds – and sighed. How many had they lost this time, he wondered?

“Lady Eir asked to speak to you when you were awake.”

“Where is she?”

“She left to go see the King a little while ago.”

“Very well. I will find her. I need to see Thor anyway.”

She bowed and stepped aside so he could walk through the crowded space between the beds.

The palace was, not surprisingly, a complete mess. While the injured and dead Asgardians had been taken care of, the bodies of the aliens were still there. Loki suspected it would take them quite a long time to dispose of all of them given how many there were. And that was only within the palace. The Norns only knew how many there were outside.

The few people he passed acknowledged him with a curt wave, but they all seemed rather dazed and exhausted. He could hardly blame them.

He found Thor in the Council Room. General Juik, his head covered in bloody bandages, was slumped in his seat, apparently asleep. The other Council members didn’t seem that much better, in truth, in terms of tiredness. One or two – the younger ones – had clearly done some fighting too, if the haunted look in their eyes was anything to go by. Brunnhilde was also there, glaring daggers at Hela, who was standing in the corner watching Thor. Thor was on his feet, leaning heavily on the table, and obviously at the end of his strength. Loki wondered if his brother had rested at all.

Everyone (except Juik) looked up as he entered, expressions ranging from suspicious to neutral – only Thor and Brunnhilde actually seemed glad to see him.

“Loki. I trust you are feeling better,” Thor said.

“Yes, I am, thank you.” He wanted to tell Thor to go get some sleep, yet he knew that now was not the right moment. Not in front of all these people.

“Do you think the invaders will return, Prince Loki?” One of the younger Councilmen asked.

Loki took a seat next to Brunnhilde. “It is unlikely. They already got what they came for.” They would be heading to Earth and wherever the other Stones were. He turned to Thor. “I believe they will go to Midgard next.” If the same aliens that attacked Asgard showed up on Earth, millions would die. “I have to go back.”

“You claim to be loyal to the throne of Asgard, yet you want to leave us when we need you?” Councilman Gorm asked, a barely masked sneer on his face. He was one of the oldest members of the Council, and one of the ones Loki disliked the most.

It was Thor who answered, shooting Gorm a warning look. “The people of Midgard are our allies.”

“They have two of the Infinity Stones,” Loki added calmly, though he wanted to throttle Gorm for his insolence. That little shit hadn’t done a single thing for Asgard in centuries except fawn at Odin (and Loki-as-Odin). “If Thanos kills them and gets the Stone, we will all be in peril.”

Gorm grumbled but subsided.

Thor thanked the councilmen for their advice and dismissed then. Someone shook Juik awake and helped him out as he was a little unsteady on his feet. He must have gotten a pretty hard blow to the head.

Neither Hela nor Brunnhilde left, though, eyeing each other with contempt. Loki didn’t think it was a good idea to have the two of them in the same room, but at least they seemed to be behaving.

“I can go to Midgard with you,” Brunnhilde told Loki. She had sort of promised Bruce she’d visit. “Fight with your team.”

“So can I, if I am allowed,” Hela added with a shrewd glance at Thor.

While Loki figured Earth could use all the help it could get, having those two there would be a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, Thor seemed to agree.

“I appreciate your willingness to assist our allies,” Thor said. “However, there is much to be done here, and Asgard needs your services as well.” Thor met Loki’s eyes, and Loki discreetly inclined his head in Hela’s direction.

If one of them had to come, Hela was a better option, as she would not be very useful in Asgard – not with most people still very much against her. As soon as the immediacy of the threat wore off, there would no doubt be people clamoring to have her return to her confinement. Loki wasn’t sure he trusted Hela with his human friends, though.

Wisely, Thor didn’t make any decision right away. “I will, however, consider your generous offer,” he told the women. “Now, I need to speak to my brother alone.”

With a last angry glance at Hela, Brunnhilde bowed and left.

Hela hesitated, looking from one to the other. “I understand I have lost my place here,” she said, and there was less bitterness in her voice than before. Maybe she really was beginning to accept that. “Perhaps it would be better if I were to seek my fortune elsewhere.” She addressed Loki. “Thor has told me that you have made a new home in Midgard.”

Loki nodded, unsure where she was going with it. He didn’t think Earth would be the right place for her, not with her still very Asgardian (that was, prejudiced) view of other realms.

“If we all survive this, we can discuss the matter further,” he said, diplomatically.

Hela nodded stiffly and departed.

“She seems to be improving,” Loki remarked.

“Yes, I think so.” Now that it was just the two of them, Thor allowed himself to collapse into his chair. “I cannot go with you.”

Loki nodded. “I understand. Your place is here.” The people would certainly not care for a king that abandoned them at a time like this.

“Hogun is dead,” Thor said. “I… I have barely spoken to any of them lately, and yet…”

“He was one of your closest friends for centuries. It is normal to grieve.” Loki had never cared for Hogun. Though he had been a man of few words, Loki had always felt judged by him. Still, he would not have wished him dead. “I’m sorry, Thor.”

Thor shook his head. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Loki came around the table to lay a hand on his brother’s shoulder, which Thor covered with his own. “Thank you, brother. And thank you for all you did here. I… I’m sorry I lost the Tesseract.”

“Thor, it wasn’t your fault.” When Thor said nothing, Loki continued. “Tell me what happened.”

Once the tale was finished, Thor fell silent, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

“You did your best, Thor. They came with an entire army.” The words had no effect. “We are not defeated yet. Thanos does not have all the Stones, and we will not allow him to have them,” he said with as much conviction as he could. He had to believe that they would win. He was not ready to die yet. He hadn’t figured out a way to extend Tony’s life beyond that of a mortal, so every second counted.

“I hope you’re right. I wish I could go with you.”

“I know.” After a short pause, he gently took his brother’s arm to get him stand. “Come on, you have to rest.”

Thor mumbled something, but allowed Loki to lead him outside, where they found Lady Eir and another healer waiting.

“My King, you must rest.”

“Yes, yes. I’m going.” He faced Loki. “Will you take Hela?”

“Do you think I can trust her?”

Thor shrugged. “We won’t know unless we give her a chance. I don’t think she’ll do anything that might help Thanos, though.”

 _Like stabbing us in the back now_ , Loki thought. “All right. I will depart shortly, then. Take care of yourself.”

“And you.”

There was a lot they could say, but now was not the time to get mushy. They had a Mad Titan to kill.

Eir’s assistant accompanied Thor to his chambers.

“You wanted to see me?” Loki asked Eir.

“I was hoping you could convince me to get King Thor to rest, but it seems you’ve already done it.” She gave him a small smile, then sobered. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m sorry I can’t talk much. I must return to Midgard.”

She nodded. “Then I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you.” He looked at the direction Thor had gone. “Take care of him. And tell Sylvi she was amazing.”

This time her smile was a bit wider. “Of course.”

He found Hela in her chambers. She had showered and changed, and was staring into the wall when he entered.

“Do you still wish to accompany me?” Loki asked.

“Yes,” came her immediate answer. She stood, grabbing her swords.

“Then let’s go. But remember, we are giving you a chance here. Don’t waste it. You might not get another one.” He took her hand, and they were gone.


	6. Chapter 5 - Plans on Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts right after the end of chapter 2 (when Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian come to Earth to try to steal the Stones) and ends before Loki's return.

**Earth**

Hulk dodged the Big Alien’s fist and punched it. Alien was strong, but Hulk was stronger. He had faced big opponents before and won, so this would be easy. It would have been fun if not for Banner’s panicked voice inside Hulk’s head. It wasn’t just Big Alien that was the problem. Big Alien was here at the orders of another – even bigger – alien. One that wanted to smash everything. Banner was scared, and when Banner was scared he tended to want to run away and hide. Hulk wasn’t going to hide, though. Hulk was going to fight. This Big Alien and the other one, if he came.

Despite Hulk’s worry when they’d returned from Sakaar/Asgard, Tony had welcomed them back. He had been happy to see Banner. And Hulk. He’d said so to both of them. Tony was a good friend, and Hulk had missed him. Hulk had apologized for running away, though, because it had not been a good thing to do. They should not have left Tony alone with Witch. Fortunately, Loki had taken care of Witch. Tony had shown them the footage that had Loki taking Witch’s powers away, and Hulk had grinned in satisfaction. Witch deserved that and more. Spider deserved to be locked up too. She had used Banner and Hulk and had never liked them at all. She was a liar. Captain was a liar too, they had found. He had lied to Tony about his parents being murdered. Hulk had wanted to smash him when Tony had told them the story. Banner had been right in the beginning, Avengers were a mess.

Hulk liked the new ones better. He liked Loki. He even apologized for smashing him that one time. In Hulk’s defense, though, Loki had brought an army to smash the puny people of Earth. How was Hulk to know he was being mind controlled? Hulk hated mind control – and so did Loki, apparently. They had that in common. Plus they both liked Tony a lot. And after the apology, Loki wasn’t scared of Hulk anymore. It was nice.

Loki wasn’t here now. Jarvis had said that Loki had to go back to Asgard because they were under attack and he was worried about Thor. Hulk hadn’t liked Thor much at first, but he had changed his mind after the fight against the zombie army in Asgard. Thor had kept his word to get Hulk home, so he couldn’t complain. Also, smashing the zombie army and the big wolf had been a lot of fun. Hulk hoped Thor would be able to defeat the aliens. Maybe later, when this was over, Hulk could go visit Angry Girl – though he thought she might not be so angry anymore. Being home had probably been good for her. It had certainly been for Hulk and Banner.

Screams made Hulk turn his attention to the puny people still around. Big Alien kept throwing things at Hulk, and it was scaring the puny people. Hulk jumped in front of a couple who were clinging to each other in terror and caught the car before it could squash them, tossing it back at Big Alien. Alien roared and came at Hulk again.

“Hulk, we need to get this guy away from here,” War Machine said as he flew overhead. “There are too many people around and too much potential for casualties.”

Hulk grunted in response and circled Big Alien, thinking. Big Alien charged again and this time Hulk grabbed him and jumped. He landed and jumped again, Big Alien still clutched in his arms despite its struggle to get free. Hulk was stronger. Two more jumps and Hulk was in Green Place, where there were no puny people to get hurt. Now he could really let go. It was going to be fun.

Big Alien kept fighting, but it was useless. Hulk smashed him good until he was on the ground, not moving anymore.

“Hulk wins,” he said.

War Machine landed beside him and lifted his faceplate. “Good job, Big Guy. Is it dead?”

Hulk nudged Big Alien with his foot. Nothing happened. “Don’t know.” He turned to War Machine (Rhodes, Banner reminded him. They could communicate better now, it was nice). “Where is Tony?”

Rhodes’s jaw clenched unhappily. “I don’t know. Jarvis said he was on the ship.”

Hulk looked at the sky, but there was no ship anymore. It had been there before. Where was it? Where was Tony? “No ship,” he said.

“No ship,” Rhodes repeated. He looked sad and worried. Hulk was too.

*****

Bruce rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. Even though the transformation back had happened over four hours ago, he was still exhausted.

They had secured the alien in the Hulk proof room in the Squad’s Headquarters (formerly the Avengers Compound) in the hopes of getting more information out of him. So far they had not been very successful. Either the creature couldn’t speak English or he just didn’t feel like talking to them. Either way, they had nothing.

Tony, Strange and Spider-Man were gone, taken along with the alien ship to god only knew where. Loki was still in Asgard, so they were down to just Bruce, Rhodes, Vision, Wong, Ant-Man and Wasp. The world’s authorities were in a state of panic, flaying around like headless chickens. They had been relying on Tony to pull everyone together and come up with some miracle solution, it seemed, and were completely lost now that Iron Man wasn’t here. Worse, no one knew if he was even still alive. Even worse, Strange had the Time Stone with him when he’d disappeared, so they had to assume that Thanos might actually get it.

Their one silver lining was that the Mind Stone was still here, safe in Vision’s head. Unfortunately, it was very likely that a new attempt to take it would be made, probably as soon as Thanos realized that he was one lackey (and Stone) short. That was what they needed to be prepared for, and what the current meeting was about.

Bruce wasn’t really very good at diplomacy or politics, so he was staying quiet and letting Rhodes and Hope deal with them.

Hope and Scott had joined the team shortly after Bruce had come back. Their suits enabled them to shrink down to the size of insects – bizarre, yet Bruce had been in _space_ , on an alien _planet_ , so nothing fazed him anymore. There had been some tension in the beginning, because Hope’s father, Hank Pym, had some sort of beef with Tony – or, more specifically, with Howard Stark. Hope herself was easy to get along with, though, so it was not as bad as it could have been. Plus she was smart and had experience with politics, which was helpful – now more than ever. Scott, on the other hand, was enthusiastic but inexperienced and a bit… juvenile, if Bruce was being honest.

Bruce tried to pay attention to the discussion going on, he really did, but he couldn’t quite follow it. He was too tired and too worried. The first invasion had been bad enough; this one was shaping up to be a lot worse. There would be no bottle-neck portal to minimize the damage, no mindless Chitauri as foot soldiers. If Thanos sent other minions like the Big Alien and the telekinetic one that had kidnapped Tony, Strange and Spidey, they would be screwed. They probably wouldn’t even have help from Asgard, who were under threat themselves. All that time spent making alliances would end up being for naught.

Aside from all that, they also had to worry about people panicking. Already there were doomsday prophets popping up all over the place, yelling about the end of times and urging the sinners to repent. Multiple videos had been circulating showing shaky footage of Iron Man’s fight and disappearance. There were some of the Hulk kicking Big Alien’s ass as well, and that was the one good thing they had. It gave the people some hope. Hulk’s popularity had gone through the roof; it felt a little bit like being back in Sakaar, with the crowd chanting his name.

A few people (Americans, of course) had even proposed letting Steve Rogers out of jail to fight. Rhodes had politely refused to go anywhere near the man, and as leader of the DS in Tony’s absence, that had brought the matter to a close – that and the vehement response from the governments of Nigeria, Romania, Germany, Sokovia and several others. Bruce was glad; he had no desire to be near Rogers (and the Hulk had even less). In any case, he didn’t think the man would be particularly useful in this situation. What good would one super soldier be against an alien army, really?

Finally, the meeting came to a close. Not because anything had been decided, but because everyone was too tired (and freaked out) to talk anymore. Jarvis turned off all the screens, and a heavy silence descended on the room.

“So, we’re screwed, right?” Scott said after a while, twisting his hands nervously.

Rhodes glared at him and the man squirmed back in his seat. “We’re not defeated yet. For all we know, Tony, Loki and Thor will manage to kill Thanos and he’ll never even make it here.”

Well, if anyone could do it, Bruce thought, it would certainly be them.

The words did the trick, and the atmosphere became a bit more relaxed.

“Our priority has to be to secure the Stone,” Vision said. “I’ve been thinking about this since the ship appeared and took Strange and the others with it. The only way to ensure Thanos cannot get his hands on it is to destroy it.”

“Destroy it?” Bruce asked. “How?”

“Also,” Rhodes added. “Won’t destroying it kill you?”

Vision turned to Rhodes first. “It is a possibility. However, in light of the threat we face, it is something we must consider. Thanos threatens the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him.”

“Vision…”

“As for how to destroy it,” he addressed Bruce. “I have been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps… its molecular integrity could fail.”

“And how would we find something like that?”

“The Arc Reator is somewhat derived from the Tesseract. Tony and Loki have theorized that that is why the scepter failed to work on him during the first invasion. It might be possible to use its energy to destroy the Stone.”

“Might,” Rhodey said. “There’s no guarantee that it will work. That amount of energy… It sounds really dangerous. It might just kill you and do nothing whatsoever to the Stone. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“What if we could get the Stone out of his head first?” Hope asked. “I mean, would that kill him anyway?”

Bruce thought about it. “Maybe. Vision’s mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another. If we take out the stone, there’s still a whole lot of Vision left.” Since he’d been back, Bruce had gotten to know Vision a bit, and he was fascinated by him. He was definitely not the Ultron program Bruce and Tony had tried to create, yet there was a lot of that protector in him. “It might work.”

“Again with the might,” Rhodes sighed. “I don’t like this.”

In truth, Bruce wasn’t all that happy about it either. They were discussing something that might, despite their best intentions, cause the death of a living creature, if not a human being. It wasn’t something that should be done lightly. However, Vision did have a point that the fate of the universe might be at stake. If Thanos was able to get all the Stones together, he would have power over all aspects of the universe, over all creation, and no one would have a hope in hell of stopping him. It was a terrifying thought. So, as much as the thought of Vision dying pained him, if it was a choice between him and the universe… well, it wouldn’t really be a choice at all.

“I am willing to do it, regardless of the risk. We cannot allow Thanos to get his hands on the Mind Stone.” The fact that Vision knew and understood it did make it easier, Bruce thought. He was getting into this with eyes wide open, making a decision of his own free will.

“Wong, you know more about the Stones than any of us. What do you think?” Rhodes asked.

“I am not certain if it is possible to destroy the Stone. The Order was tasked with protecting it, not destroying it. However, given present circumstances, I believe it is worth a try. _If_ we can remove it safely from Vision.”

Rhodes sighed. “Can we?”

“If I may, Colonel,” Jarvis interjected. “I have studied Vision’s make up since my return, and I believe it might be possible. We would have to reprogram his synapses to work collectively, thereby bypassing the need for the Stone. However, there are more than two trillion neurons there. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures. It will take time. Also, we do not have the necessary equipment here. I can procure it, but that will also take time.”

“Then we should get started right away,” Vision said.

It was clear that Rhodes was still not completely sold on it, but they didn’t have any better ideas. Bruce could only hope that Vision would survive, and the whole thing wouldn’t be in vain.

They dispersed after that. Bruce wanted to go after Vision to talk to him, but he couldn’t think of anything he could say that wouldn’t be stupid. So he went to the lab to help Jarvis figure out what they would need to attempt the Stone removal.

After about an hour, having jerked awake more times than he could count, Bruce was forced to conclude that he needed some rest in order to be able to function.

The Compound, he’d been told, had been completely remodeled after the so-called Civil War. Steve and his friends’ properties had been seized following their arrest and incarceration. Some had been returned to the owners, and some had been donated to various charity organizations. Pretty much all of it had been bought with Tony’s money, after all, since none of them had ever held an actual job after SHIELD fell. They had treated the place like a fraternity house, Tony had told him, and couldn’t even be bothered to take out the trash or buy their own groceries. It had made the Hulk rumble in his head when he’d heard it.

Now there was no trace of their presence left, for which Bruce was grateful. All he could see as he walked through it was a functional space to work and train. There were personal quarters, but those were not intended for permanent living, just somewhere to crash it the need arose – as it did now.

He went to the quarters he’d been assigned and laid on the bed. Despite his exhaustion, it took him a while to actually fall asleep. Nightmares of aliens and death plagued him, making him toss and turn uneasily. When he woke, he didn’t feel very refreshed at all. Still, he knew there would be no point in insisting, so he got up, showered, put on some clean clothes and went in search of some coffee and food. He found Scott in the kitchen, staring off into space, an empty cup in front of him.

“Hey,” Bruce greeted.

“Hey.”

Bruce made himself a sandwich and a cup of coffee in silence.

“So, how likely is it that we’ll be able to survive this, do you think?” Scott asked at last.

Bruce sighed. “I have no idea.” At the lost look on Scott’s face, he continued. “Look, I know things seem bad, but we’ve faced some pretty bad stuff before and survived. So, don’t lose hope, all right? We are doing all we can. And I’m sure Tony and Strange are too, wherever they are. Plus, this time we have more time to prepare, and more of a plan.”

“Okay. Okay. Thanks.” Scott offered a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I guess I’m just a bit nervous. This is my first time with an end-of-the-world situation.”

Bruce chuckled despite himself. For someone who had always detested conflict, he seemed to have amassed plenty of experience with end-of-the-world scenarios. First there had been the invasion in New York, then Ultron trying to destroy the planet via city-turned-meteor, and Asgard being in danger from a crazy Princess. Now this. Invasion 2.0. In truth, Bruce was getting a little tired of saving the world. It would be really great if the world could stay peril-free for the next couple of decades.

He said good bye to Scott and went back to the lab. Jarvis and Friday had continued the work on ordering the materials necessary to de-stone Vision and some preliminary simulations on how to do it. Vision himself joined him at some point and then Rhodes came by to check on their process.

Bruce had no idea how long they worked on it, but by the time he called it a night, they had a tentative plan laid out. The AIs and Vision continued to run simulations while Bruce went back to bed.

The next day there was another Accords meeting. It seemed that a good night’s sleep had done wonders for the people attending it, because they were able to actually get things done.

Thanos had ships and soldiers, though they weren’t sure how many of the latter he would bring. Considering that the first ship had been able to slip past Earth’s radars and satellites, they had to conclude that they had cloaking technology that was way beyond what Earth was capable of detecting. That meant it was unlikely they would be able to see them coming the next time, so shooting them down would be complicated. More importantly, they could only do it if they were sure the ships wouldn’t crash into a populated area. Since they knew Thanos would come for the Stone, and they assumed he would be able to track it somehow, it gave them the opportunity to choose the battle field. After much discussion, it was decided that the Compound was the best location they could arrange in the short time they had. It would give them the chance to try to remove the Stone from Vision and defend him if necessary. Its grounds were also extensive was relatively isolated, thereby minimizing the possibility of civilian casualties, and it had weapons of its own that could be used on the invaders. The army and the police would organize the evacuation of a 20 mile radius around it and provide them with addition fire power. All tech people and non-essential personnel would be evacuated as well, leaving only the active Squad members to face Thanos and whatever army he would bring with him. The Accords would also make the call for any other super-powered individual who wished to help, so they might get a few additional members, if only temporarily.

All in all, Bruce thought it was a fairly decent plan.

With luck, they would be able to destroy the Stone before Thanos arrived, which would give them an advantage.

With even more luck, none of it would be necessary, because Tony would have taken care of the threat already.

 _I hope you’re okay, Tony. And that you’re kicking ass_.

If anyone could do it, it was him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the people who are subscribed to this fic: AO3 announced in a recent news post that they'll be doing some changes to their email system starting tomorrow, and that means some emails from the Archive might be lost for a few days. So, in case your update notification doesn't come, the next chapter will be posted on Saturday around this same time, so you can check back directly.
> 
> And we'll finally get back to what Tony's doing on Maw's ship. ;)
> 
> Stay safe, everyone.


	7. Chapter 6 – Shipboard

**Space**

It had taken Tony a while to find his way through the ship. That was mostly because he might have spent a few moments hyperventilating after seeing _space_ outside. Maybe some ten minutes or so. It was hard to tell, what with the panicking and all. It seemed like his old nightmares had finally come true. All those fears of the coldness of space, of alien ships swarming the horizon, aliens trying to kill anyone he loved… Yeah, that was pretty much happening right now. He didn’t even have Jarvis and Friday anymore, and that was the truly terrifying thing. Plus, no Loki. He had kinda been thinking that, whenever Thanos came, he and Loki would be together to kick his ass. Being sort of kidnapped had not been part of his plans at all. He most certainly had not expected to be all alone in a big-ass alien ship headed god-knew-where. Well, except for Strange, who was a captive and might not even be alive anymore.

And now he was panicking again. Damn.

 _Focus, Tony_. All those years of dealing with PTSD were certainly paying off. At least he now knew how to push down the overwhelming fear and anxiety in order to be able to _function_. Yay for him.

He heard a noise up ahead and crept towards it, retreating the boot repulsors to make less noise.

He found himself up some sort of access path. Below him, there was a large chamber which seemed to be the control room of the ship. Squidward was there, apparently interrogating Strange. The poor guy was floating horizontally, face down, surrounded by dozens of glassy needles, each about two feet long. That did not look good at all. Scratch interrogating; that was torture. _No, don’t think about that. Focus, Tony_. Strange clearly needed his help.

“In all the time I’ve served Thanos, I’ve never failed him,” Squidward said. “If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating person, there would be… judgment.” By ‘judgment’, Tony figured he meant Thanos wasn’t the type of boss to let sloppy work stand, and would make his displeasure known in probably painful ways. If even his minions were scared, that did not bode well for his enemies.

The needles started to touch Strange’s face, causing an obviously painful subcutaneous glow at each touch. The sorcerer hissed and tried to get away, but he had nowhere to go and could hardly move at all.

“Give me the Stone.”

Tony was wondering how he could get Strange out of there without turning him into a porcupine when he felt something lightly tap him on the arm. Heart in his throat, he twirled around, ready to shoot whatever it was, only to come face to face with… Strange’s Cloak. Face to… fabric, then. Whatever. It made a gesture as if it wanted Tony to follow. With a last look at Strange, Tony complied. He hoped the guy could hold on a little while longer while Tony conferred with the Cloak. How, he wasn’t sure, since he didn’t think the thing could talk, but Tony was a creative sort, he could figure it out. No problem. Jesus, what was his life?

The faceplate came up. “Wow, you’re a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren’t you?” he told it once they were, hopefully, out of hearing range.

The Cloak ‘nodded’ by moving its lapels up and down.

“Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty…”

Tony and the Cloak turned to see Peter goddam Parker dropping down from above in the Iron Spider suit.

“What the–” Tony started.

“I know what you’re gonna say,” the kid interrupted.

“You should not be here.” Damn it. How the hell had the kid gotten here? Tony had sent him home! The Cloak moved to ‘stand’ at Tony’s side, clearly as unimpressed as Tony was. The thing was really kinda cute.

“I was gonna go home… But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way… And then I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way. It’s really totally awesome. So if anything, it’s kinda your fault that I’m here.” Even though his face was hidden beneath the mask, Tony could imagine the sheepish expression. It was not at all cute.

Tony glared at the kid while the Cloak looked shocked. It was really amazing how much the thing could emote for being… well, a cape. A very stylish cape, sure, but a cape nonetheless. A smart one, apparently.

Peter wilted a bit. “Hmm, I take that last bit back. But anyway, now I’m here. You know, in space. It’s kinda… cool. Also, a bit scary.”

“Yeah, I know.” Tony crossed to stand right in front of Peter, feeling like he was on his last nerve here. “You’re here. Right where I don’t want you to be.” This was probably not the right time for a lecture, but Tony couldn’t help himself. He’d done his best to get the kid away from the ship, and he’d gone and disobeyed. He couldn’t just let that go. “This isn’t Coney Island. This isn’t a field trip. It’s a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don’t pretend like you thought this through. You could not have possibly thought this through.” Hell, _Tony_ hadn’t thought it through. The kid was in danger and it was Tony’s fault. This kid – this smart, sweet, amazing 15 year-old _kid_ – was going to die out here in space and it was because of Tony. Why had he ever thought involving the kid was a good idea? He should have left him alone. He should have left him to jump around Queens in those ridiculous pajamas. The worst he’d have to deal with there was armed robbers. Piece of cake compared to crazy aliens hell-bent on world domination and the annihilation of life as they knew it.

“I know. It’s just… you can’t be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there’s no neighborhood, you know?” 

Tony took a few shaky breaths. Actually, the kid had a point. If Thanos won, the boy probably wouldn’t survive anyway. What a lovely thought. Only, you know, _not_.

“Fine. Whatever. Come on. We got a situation.” _Focus, Tony_. It had become a mantra now. Whatever got him through this insanity, apparently. And right now that was dealing with one disaster at a time. Peter was here now and there was no way to send him home. As much as he wanted to tell the kid to go find a corner to hide in, he kinda needed all the help he could get to save Strange and make sure Squidward didn’t get his ugly hands on the Time Stone. He could deal with the rest later. One thing at a time.

He led Peter over to a viewpoint to what was happening below and Peter crouched to study the situation, the Cloak leaning over his shoulder as if it wanted to see it too. How did it see, anyway? It didn’t have eyes. _Focus, dammit_. “See him down there? He’s in trouble. You wanna help? Here’s your chance. What’s your plan? Go.”

“Um. Okay, okay… uh…” Peter and the Cloak popped back upright. “Okay. Did you ever see this really old movie, _Aliens_?”

Tony refrained from spurting in indignation. _Really_ _old_? For fuck’s sake. Still, it was not a bad idea. Actually, it was a pretty good idea. “All right, kid. Let’s do this.” He grinned.

They hashed out the plan a little more, then it was time to execute it. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a lot of time to consider every possibility or make contingency plans. If this one didn’t work, they’d have to wing it. Normally, Tony was all for winging it, but this time he would have preferred slightly less haste. After all, the fate of the universe was literally on the line here.

Shit. _Don’t think about that. Focus_.

Squidward and Strange were exactly where Tony had left them, the alien still apparently monologuing and Strange still groaning in pain, poor bastard.

“Painful aren’t they? They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them–”

Tony landed behind them with a thud, repulsors at the ready. He was done listening to that asshole.

Squidward turned, looking utterly unconcerned. “Could end your friend's life in an instant,” he finished.

Behind the mask, Tony grimaced, but his voice betrayed nothing. “I gotta tell you, he’s not really my friend. Saving his life is more a professional courtesy.”

The alien’s bored air didn’t change. He raised his hands and large metal objects began to float all around him, no doubt ready to bludgeon Tony’s head in. “You’ve saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.”

 _What an arrogant little shit_ , Tony thought. Aloud he said “Yeah, but the kid’s seen more movies.”

He fired a small rocket from his shoulder, which went past Squidward to make a hole on the side of the ship. Immediately, the depressurization began to suck out everything, including Squidward and his would-be weapons. So much for being all powerful.

The needles around Strange disappeared through the crack in the wall, and Strange himself was pulled from his bindings. Cloak rushed to wrap itself around him to prevent the sorcerer from being sucked into space, but it couldn’t hold on and was sucked along. Peter shot a webline at Strange, holding on to a piece of the ship to anchor himself. Unfortunately, the thing broke and they went careening into the hole. Tony’s heart leapt into his throat; he was too far away to do anything. Just as they were about to slip out, eight legs came out of the Spider suit and attached themselves to the walls.

“Yes! Wait, what are those?” Peter yelled. He didn’t waste time, though, and pulled them both back inside while Tony flew over and sprayed the hole with nanites to plug it up. Strange dropped to the floor with a muffled grunt.

Peter landed on his new legs and retracted them. The Cloak helped Strange up, dusted off his clothes for him then settled on the sorcerer’s shoulder.

“That thing is so cool,” Peter told Tony. Then he turned to Strange and offered his hand. “Hey. By the way, we haven’t officially met. I’m Peter.”

“Dr. Strange.” He shook the kid’s hand, looking at him skeptically.

“Oh, we’re using our made-up names. Um… I’m Spider-Man, then.”

Tony chuckled, the armor retreating now that the danger was past, and walked up to the console. “Strange _is_ his real name, kid.” He tried really hard to think about Star Trek and not his nightmares as he watched the stars going by in hyperspeed. It would be pretty if the sight didn’t scare the shit out of him. Damn Thanos. Here he was in _space_ – very little nerd’s dream – and he couldn’t even enjoy it properly.

“Oh. Sorry, then.” Peter took off his mask, revealing a sheepish expression.

 **“** We’ve gotta turn this ship around,” Strange said, ignoring Peter to come stand next to Tony at the controls.

Tony snorted. “Yeah. Now he wants to run. Great plan.”

“No, I want to protect the Stone.”

“Yeah, well, I told you to hide it somewhere, didn’t I? But of course you didn’t listen. Oh no, the great Sorcerer Supreme knows best,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “And now we’re in a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup.” Tony turned his back on the viewport, fists clenched at his sides. Damn it all. _Focus_.

Peter raised his hand a little timidly. “I’m backup.”

“No. You’re a stowaway.” _You shouldn’t be here_ , he wanted to say. None of them should be here. They should be all safe on Earth, with the ground firmly under their feet. He closed his eyes, pushing the panic away again. He’d been doing that a lot today. There seemed to be no end of things to panic about, after all.

His gaze went back to the console. Nightmares or not, there was a part of Tony’s brain that couldn’t help look at the tech and want to figure out how it all worked. Those over there must be the navigation controls, he thought. They were blipping and flashing messages in an alien language Tony had no hope of understanding. Loki would have known what it meant, but Loki wasn’t here. He was in Asgard, possibly facing Thanos. He could be dead.

“This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing’s on autopilot,” he said, his brain working to make sense of the readings despite his inner turmoil. Titan. That was where Squidward had said they were going. Why there? What was the significance of that place? Was it his headquarters or something? Was that where Loki had been, when he’d been Thanos’s captive? Would Thanos take him back there if he got his hands on Loki again? Or would he just kill him? _Loki, please be okay_.

“Can we control it? Fly us home?” Strange asked. 

Tony was barely listening. Loki could be dead now, or soon. Tony might end up dead too. They’d never see each other again, and Tony was never going to be able to finish that conversation about the kid with the green eyes. He wasn’t even sure what kind of ending he was expecting to have there, but he wanted to have it anyway. He wanted more time.

“Stark?”

 _Focus, Tony_. Loki was probably fine. He was smart, strong and resourceful. Plus he could hop out of Asgard in a blink if things got bad. He’d be fine. He had to be. Tony just had to keep himself alive long enough to see him again. It wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot. Tony Stark did not quit, did not give up. He was going to kill Thanos and end this nightmare once and for all. He’d been preparing for this since New York, hadn’t he? This time, it was going to be over for good. One way or another.

He took a deep breath and looked at Strange. “Yeah?”

“Can you get us home?”

He probably could. He wanted to. God, how he wanted to. But then what? They still had the Stone, which meant Thanos was going to come looking for them sooner or later. As soon as he realized his lackey had failed his mission, he would probably get off his ass and show up himself. And then they’d be screwed. So… A new idea was idea started to rattle around in his brain. “Yeah I heard you. I’m thinking… I’m not so sure we should.”

“Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don’t think you quite understand what’s at stake here.”

Tony laughed, a tinge of hysteria to it. “No. It’s you who doesn’t understand. Thanos has been inside my head for six years, since he sent an army to New York and now he’s back! We’ve been trying to prepare for years, and now the time has come. And I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure if it’s a better plan to fight him on our turf or his, but you saw what they did, what they can do.” If Thanos came to Earth with a whole army, they would lose. They weren’t ready. Maybe if they had another decade or so, but they didn’t. It was now, and they had nothing. “At least on his turf, he’s not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him.” It was crazy. It was practically suicide, but what choice was there?

Strange looked at him, thinking, before he finally spoke. “Alright, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand… if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone… I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can’t, because the fate of the universe depends on it.”

Tony tried not to think of Peter, so very young and with so much life ahead of him.

A life he wouldn’t have if Thanos killed them all.

He nodded. “Nice. Good. Moral compass. We’re straight.” It wasn’t an easy decision, and Tony would certainly not envy him if Strange actually had to make it, but he understood. One person, or even two, could not rate above the rest of the universe. With a heavy heart, he stepped over to Peter, formally tapping each of Peter’s shoulders with the edge of his hand, imitating a knighting. “Alright, kid. You’re officially part of the Earth’s Defense Squad now.” This was not what he wanted. Not now, not like this. Not when it felt like he was signing the kid’s death sentence. _Forgive me_.

Peter looked at Tony in disbelief, face cycling through delight, satisfaction, pride and determination. Tony couldn’t help the surge of pride he felt for the kid’s bravery despite everything. He could only hope they would survive this. Somehow.

“All right, then,” Tony sighed. “It looks like it will be a while before we arrive at… wherever we’re going. Titan, apparently. We might as well get comfortable.”

“Do you think there’s anything to eat in this ship?” Peter asked.

“We should make sure we’re really alone first,” Strange said.

So they set out to explore the ship, Peter chatting excitedly all the while. It was almost like he had no idea they were likely heading to their deaths.

He did, though. There was a tension to his shoulders and a slight tremor to his hands that betrayed his nervousness. Tony opened his mouth to say they were going back to Earth after all, then thought better of it. This was their best chance. They had to take it.

They were indeed alone, though there was indication that the ship was capable of transporting an entire army. Maybe Thanos had underestimated the resources he needed to get the Stones from Earth. If so, he was an idiot – they’d destroyed the Chitauri once already, after all. Or perhaps Thanos was saving them for last, wanting to be there in person.

 _Focus_.

There was nothing to eat – or at least nothing that looked edible to humans – so they just made themselves comfortable as the ship continued its flight. Peter stood next to Tony as he examined the controls, pointing at things and asking questions. Tony found himself glad for the kid’s presence. It was easier to keep the panic at bay when he had something do to, like speculate on how the ship worked and how they would land it once they reached their destination. Automatic pilot probably wouldn’t be able to do it.

“I’m sorry for sneaking aboard, Mr Stark,” the boy said quietly, once it was just the two of them in the room – Strange had gone… somewhere.

“It’s all right, Peter. I was just trying to keep you safe.”

“I know. You’re the best, Mr Stark.” He smiled. “I’m sure I’ll be perfectly safe with you.”

He sounded so genuine that Tony got all misty-eyed. He hoped he’d be able to live up to that level of trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update on Tuesday.


	8. Chapter 7 - Daughter of Thanos

**Space**

She had failed.

After all the years of anger, pain and misery, everything she had suffered at the hands of Thanos – and all she had done to crawl out of that hole, to escape his over-reaching shadow – and she was right back where she’d started. In a cell in Thanos’s ship, her body stretched out and disassembled, her life once more completely outside of her control.

Nebula was going to die here, in this filthy cell, and Thanos was still alive. She had failed her mission. And failure was unacceptable.

She would have cried if she was capable of it. Or maybe she would have screamed. As it was, she could no nothing but hang there, trying to ignore the pain, suspended like a piece of machinery.

Perhaps it was fitting. She was more machine than flesh now. Parts and parts of her stripped away bit by bit for not being fast enough, strong enough, good enough. Pain and humiliation had been her constant companions throughout all her life. And death.

She didn’t remember her home planet. She didn’t remember her parents, if she’d had any, or any other family. Life began with Thanos – and it had been nothing but a long and unrelenting nightmare. Now, it was going to end with Thanos.

She almost wished he would kill her already. He had made it clear that there would be no forgiveness this time, no more chances to get back into his good graces – not that she wanted to. It would be better to die free than to continue to be a slave to that maniac. But she knew him, and she knew he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to torture her some more. It was all he’d ever done, after all. It was all he knew how to do. All that ridiculous talk about bringing balance to the universe was just an excuse to do what he liked to do – kill and torture. He liked having power over others, to decide who lived and who died. And he had been the one to decide everything in her life.

Her ‘training’ (or, more accurately, torture), her body modifications, her missions, her every movement. She had nothing of her own. Nothing except her rage and pain.

Even in the last couple of years, when she had finally broken away completely, he had still loomed over her. Her desire for revenge, for his death, had been her driving force. She _needed_ him to die. She would never be truly free as long as he lived. (And in her lowest moments, she wondered if she would be even if he died. She wondered if there was enough left of her for any kind of real life.)

So she had set out on one last mission, the most important one of her life: she was going to kill him.

Nebula had a plan. Sneak into his ship, wait for a vulnerable moment, then stick her sword through his throat and laugh as the blood poured out of him until he was dead at her feet.

Of course, it hadn’t happened like that.

Getting into the ship had been easy enough. She knew the ship, its layout and its defenses. It had been easy enough to kill the soldiers and slaves in her path, making sure to remain undetected. She had even managed to get into Thanos’s ‘throne room’, where she had had him in her sights. She had crept quietly from the shadows, circling behind him, and she’d drawn her sword.

She’d charged –

And he’d caught her.

Easily. As if she was nothing but a bug flying around him.

As she had squirmed in his grip, the bastards had chuckled.

“Nebula. Did you really think I hadn’t noticed you, daughter? Did you really think you could just walk in here and kill me?” He’d asked, as if the notion was amusing. “You have been a terrible disappointment, daughter.”

Despite all her hatred and rage, those words had sent a shiver of fear down her spine, and she had struggled with all her strength. She knew what they meant. Pain.

He had dragged her to the cell, and proceeded to take her apart one more time. Worse, he had rifled through her memories – as if violating her body wasn’t enough, he had violated her _mind_. All her struggles and her cursing had been in vain.

She should have known. She could never win. She was too weak.

The door to her cell opened, and Thanos walked in. There was someone else with him, though, and Nebula felt all hope dwindle away.

No. _Please, no_.

Gamora.

“Nebula,” her sister said, and rushed to her side, eyes taking in the state she was in. “Oh stars. Nebula…”

There was nothing Gamora could do, of course, not with Thanos standing there. He was enjoying their pain, the sadistic piece of shit.

Gamora turned to Thanos. “Don’t do this,” she pleaded, as if that would have any effect. There was no mercy in Thanos. No compassion. He was just… cold.

“Some time ago, your sister snuck into this ship to kill me,” he said. Then he grinned. “A foolish notion, but I suppose I cannot expect better from her.” His expression turned serious – and dangerous. “But you, Gamora… You are different. I expected better from you. Instead, you give me _lies_.” The last word was hissed, and if Nebula could move, she would have curled into a ball to escape the anger she could sense from him.

“Please don’t do this,” Gamora said again, fearful gaze going from Nebula to Thanos.

“So I brought her here to talk. And now you. So talk, daughter.”

He flexed the Gauntlet with the two gleaming Infinity Stones in it, and Nebula felt her body stretching even further. She tried to keep silent, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cries, but the pain was too great. She screamed in agony.

“Stop. Stop it!” Gamora yelled. She put her hands on the Gauntlet, pulling it down. “I swear to you on my life. I never found the Soul Stone. I don’t know where it is.”

Thanos walked over to a control pad and tapped something in it. Nebula knew what was coming, and she started fighting again. _No, no please_.

She heard her own voice giving the command to access her memory files. The command that Thanos had tortured her into giving him. A hologram of Gamora’s face appeared on the air next to him.

“You know what he’s about to do,” the Nebula in the memory told Gamora. “He’s finally ready, and he’s going for the Stones. All of them.”

Memory Gamora shook her head. “He can never get them all.”

“He will!” Memory Nebula hissed in reply. She remembered how scared she’d been to think that Thanos might actually succeed in his crazy plan.

“He can’t, Nebula. Because I found the map to the Soul Stone and I burnt it to ash. I burnt it.”

The memory ended, and Nebula wanted to cry again. This could not be happening.

Back when she and her sister had had this conversation, Thanos’s plan had been only that – a plan. Now she could see the two Stones he already had. And Gamora knew where another was. That would make it three – half of the six he needed.

Nebula renewed her efforts to get free, even though she knew it was pointless. He had won. He always won, always got what he wanted.

Thanos looked at Nebula for a moment, then turned his attention back to Gamora. “All you are is because of me,” he said and she shook her head in mute denial. “You’re strong. Me. You’re generous. Me. But I never taught you to lie. That’s why you’re so bad at it.” His voice dripped with disgust. “Where is the Soul Stone?” 

He raised his Gauntlet next to Gamora’s face. Nebula shook her head, utterly terrified, hoping to encourage her sister to stay silent, but when Gamora did not answer, Thanos clenched the Gauntlet again, reactivating the Stones. Nebula screamed again as the pain encompassed her entire body. It seemed to last forever, waves and waves of unending agony over muscles and circuits strained to the breaking point. She couldn’t see or hear anymore. All she knew was pain.

“Stop! Stop, please.”

The pressure let off for a moment, just enough for Nebula to draw a haggard breath, and lock eyes with her sister.

 _Please_ , she wanted to say, though she wasn’t sure what she was pleading for anymore.

“Tell me where the Stone is,” Thanos repeated, standing behind Gamora so he could watch Nebula as well.

When Gamora still said nothing, he began again.

Nebula screamed. And screamed. The Stones glowed brighter and Nebula screamed louder.

It was unbearable. She prayed for it all to just be over.

 _Just kill me_ , she thought. _Just end it_.

“Vormir!” Gamora shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Thanos unclenched his hand, and Nebula gasped in air as her parts snapped back almost into place. She panted, utterly exhausted and wrung out. Gamora came closer to her and caressed her face, agony and despair in her eyes. 

“The Stone is on Vormir.” To Nebula, she whispered “I’m sorry.”

Nebula closed her eyes in defeat.

“Very good, daughter. Show me,” Thanos said, satisfied.

Head down, Gamora went to the console and inputted the coordinates. A planet appeared on the screen. Thanos smiled. He turned back to Nebula. “I will deal with you when I return,” he told her. “For now, you have served your purpose.” He walked out of the room, leaving Gamora and Nebula alone.

“I’m sorry,” Gamora repeated. “Nebula…”

“You fool,” Nebula croaked out, her voice hoarse from all the screaming. “You’ve just damned the entire universe.” _And me_ , she didn’t said. It wasn’t necessary.

“I know. But at least this one time I wanted to… I wanted to be a good sister to you.”

“Gamora!” Thanos yelled from outside. “Don’t make me come back to get you.” The threat was clear, and both Gamora and Nebula shuddered in fear.

“I’m so sorry.”

It was the last thing Gamora said to her.

Once her sister was gone, Nebula allowed herself to crumble – inasmuch as she could, still suspended and stretched as she was. The position was only slightly less uncomfortable now that her parts were closer together. After the horrific agony of earlier, it was almost pleasant.

But it was all for nothing. She was going to die anyway, and so would half the universe.

*****

She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally woke up again. She was alone in the cell once more.

Gamora was gone. Thanos would take her to Vormir to make sure she hadn’t deceived him – and Nebula hoped her sister _had_ deceived him, because he could not be allowed to get all the Stones. After he had completed his goal, he would no longer need Gamora. Even though she was his favorite, Nebula knew he would kill her. It was too dangerous to let her live when she would only continue to fight against him. She might not win, but it would be an annoyance Thanos didn’t need when he was so close to getting what he wanted.

Two Infinity Stones were already in his possession. Assuming Gamora had told him the truth, he would soon have a third. Nebula knew the Black Order had been sent to acquire the others, Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian leaving in one ship and Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight in another. Before she had attacked Thanos, she had made a brief check through the ship’s computers and had learned that.

Now she didn’t know if it even mattered anymore. The Black Order was powerful, and she could not imagine that they would fail in their task. Even if they did, it would only delay the inevitable. Thanos would simply end up retrieving the missing Stones himself, and who would be able to oppose him? All those who had tried had perished.

Nebula had seen it again and again. Every time someone rebelled or defied him, they were destroyed. And that was if they were lucky. She knew firsthand what he was capable of when he wanted to teach someone a lesson. With the Stones, he would be unstoppable.

She had failed, and the universe was going to pay the price.

An undetermined amount of time later, a technician came into the room. Nebula had been drifting in and out of consciousness, too tired and weary to fight anymore, so it took her a while to notice it. When she did, she remained still, allowing the tech to believe she was no danger to him. If she was going to die anyway, she might as well go down fighting. With her eyes opened only the slightest bit, she waited for the man to reassemble her entirely, feeling each joint lock back into place with a painful jolt, though she didn’t make a sound. At last the technician came around closer to her, and she sprung. It was the work of a moment to get free of the suspension field now that she had control over her body again and snap his neck. With a deep breath, she made her way to the console, rotating her arms and legs to sort out the last kinks from the dismantlement. The pain was still there, lingering at every bit of muscle she still possessed as well as where all her cybernetic parts joined her own flesh, but she ignored it. She was used to it, after all.

She called up the ship’s main database. The Black Order had made contact. Corvus and Proxima had secured the Space Stone. They were awaiting instructions on where to meet Thanos. Ebony Maw was on his way to Titan, presumably with another one. Damn it.

She had to get there before they did. She had to stop them somehow.

And she had to find a way to help her sister.

She needed backup. Gamora’s friends, those idiots who called themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. They might be morons, but they were not completely incompetent, and they would be just as motivated as her to get Gamora back and kill Thanos.

Decision made, she sent a message to their ship. “This is Nebula. I need you to meet me on Titan as soon as you can.”

Then it was time to get out of this ship.

It was as easy as getting in had been, now that Thanos was gone. She retrieved her own ship, the one she’s come in on, and was off in just a few minutes, taking the time to kill a few more of Thanos’s soldiers for good measure. She would have preferred to have destroyed the whole ship, but that would take too long and attract too much attention, neither of which she couldn’t afford that right now.

Once she was on her way, in the privacy of her ship with the course set, she allowed herself a few moments to lose her composure and scream in rage at the unfairness of the universe. This was not news to her, of course, yet it seemed particularly cruel now.

She had only just started reconciling with her sister, and now Gamora might be dead soon. The whole universe (or half of it) might be dead soon. And Nebula had nothing.

There would be no one to mourn her, not if Gamora died first. There would be no one to care that she was gone, or even to remember her. Gamora’s friends might be stupid, but they cared about her. That human, Quill, even said he _loved_ her. He would die for Gamora, if he had to.

Who did Nebula have? No one. No one had ever loved her. She wasn’t even sure she knew what love _was_. Thanos had claimed to love them, Nebula and Gamora, as he trained them – by pitting them against each other again and again for his own sadistic pleasure – but he didn’t. Thanos loved nothing and no one. He was a destroyer, a murdered and a torturer.

Nebula thought back to the interactions she’d witnessed between Gamora and her crew – her friends. They were all completely different individuals, from different species and backgrounds, yet they had come together and _stayed_ together for some reason. Gamora had told Nebula she could travel with them as well, be part of the group, and Nebula had refused. It had felt too much like pity, and she was done being pitied by her sister. She had wanted to be her own person. And look where that had gotten her.

She should have taken the offer, pity be damned. She would not be alone now if she had. She would not be terrified out of her mind with no one to talk her down. What would it be like to have people? To have friends? She had never really thought about it until she saw Gamora with hers. Until she realized that it was possible, even for people like them. Even for a daughter of Thanos.

And now it was too late. Instead of taking the opportunity when it had presented itself, Nebula had led her pride get in the way. It was so stupid. What did pride matter? She _was_ weak. It had been proven time after time, with defeat after defeat, failure after failure. What was the point in pretending otherwise? It hadn’t helped her. It hadn’t made her stronger, it had only made her more desperate and more miserable. She would never be good enough. It was time to stop trying.

It was pointless anyway. She was going to die, and Thanos was going to win. There would be no one to oppose him once he had all the Stones. But she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. She wasn’t going to give up just yet. She would keep fighting a while longer. For Gamora.

In the silence of her small ship, Nebula set about doing what repairs he could on herself, and strengthening her resolve. With every painful reconnecting of wires, every jolt of fixed circuitry, every replaced little part of herself – the parts she _hated_ – her anger and hatred grew.

She would kill Thanos.

For herself. For Gamora. For every world he had destroyed, every life he had shattered.

She’d kill him.

Or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update on Friday.


	9. Chapter 8 - Finding allies

**Titan**

They were a pretty sorry bunch when they arrived on Titan. Quill alternated between fury and despair, which in turn made Mantis wince every time he got near her as neither emotion seemed very pleasant to her. Drax kept mumbling about dire revenge, now including Gamora’s name along with those of his wife and daughter, which made Quill even more miserable. They didn’t know for sure that Gamora was dead, but Drax had only given Quill a disbelieving look when the human had pointed that out. Even Groot had put down the fucking game and was sitting dejectedly in Gamora’s chair.

Rocket, for his part, was trying really hard not to give in to the panic threatening to suffocate him. Not to mention the memory of being dismantled like a piece of fabric by the damn Stone. He wasn’t even sure why they were bothering anymore. It wasn’t like they were going to win this thing. Whatever Gamora knew, Thanos would also know pretty soon, and they would be even more screwed than they were now, which was saying something. Because they were very _very_ screwed.

“Now what?” Mantis asked as they disembarked.

There was nothing around here but the ruins of an old civilization. Rocket had no idea why Nebula had asked them to come here. Surely Thanos wouldn’t be here. Why would he? He could destroy the universe from anywhere once he had the Stones, there was no need to be sentimental and go back to his birth planet – especially when there was nothing in it. Still, since they didn’t have any better ideas, here they were, likely heading for another crushing defeat. Because apparently getting their asses kicked once already hadn’t been enough.

“Nebula said she’d be here, so I guess we wait,” Quill answered.

Not that Nebula was the most trustworthy of people, Rocket thought. Hadn’t she tried to kill them a few times already? Still, to be fair, most of them had tried to kill the others at some point. And with Thanos for a father, who could blame Nebula from being, you know, homicidal. All that aside, though, Rocket didn’t think she’d betray them. Not on purpose anyway. She cared about Gamora, at least, if not the rest of them. Of course, Gamora was no longer here – and might well be dead, in fact. Who knew what Nebula would do when she heard _that_ piece of news.

“I am Groot,” Groot said with a subdued air. It was the first time he had spoken since they had left Knowhere.

“Yes, we’re worried about Gamora too,” Rocket told him. He didn’t know how to be comforting. That was just not his thing. He hated feelings, and now they all had an abundance of them, and none of them good. Running was looking more and more appealing. Too bad there was nowhere _to_ run.

Quill’s jaw clenched. “We’ll get her back. We will.”

No one said anything to that.

There was nothing to do but walk around aimlessly and wait. The silence was starting to grate on Rocket’s nerves. This group was never quiet. There was always someone talking, arguing, playing, telling stupid stories, calling each other names. Anything. This was unnatural. Like there was a giant hole in their little ragtag family – a Gamora-shaped hole.

“Look!” Mantis yelled, pointing at the sky.

There was a big ship coming their way. Or, more accurately, a big ship was about to crash land on the planet. Great. Just what they needed.

“It’s one of Thanos’s,” Quill said. “Gamora said the Black Order uses ships shaped like a circle.”

“Why are they crashing then?” Drax asked.

“Maybe it was damaged in a fight or something,” Rocket mused, though he couldn’t see who would be able to do such a thing. Nova Corps clearly weren’t able to defend Xandar, and they were no slouches.

“Maybe it’s Nebula,” Mantis suggested.

Quill snorted. “Nebula can fly a ship, even damaged. Besides, she’d let us know, wouldn’t she?” His expression turned even graver, if that was possible. Maybe he was thinking of how he was going to tell Nebula that her sister had been kidnapped by Thanos. Rocket could understand the apprehension. Nebula was a scary person at the best of times. He did not want to see her when she was truly pissed off.

They watched as the ship maneuvered erratically until it hit one of the abandoned towers and a huge chunk of it fell off. Then the rest of the ship hit the ground, still at enough speed to keep going, kicking up a massive dust cloud. By the time it had stopped, leaning slightly to one side, there wasn’t much of it left. It would definitely not be flying anywhere soon. Or, most likely, ever again.

“Come on,” Quill said. “Let’s go greet the bastards and find out where Thanos took Gamora. Remember, we need at least some of them alive.” That last was directed to Drax with a warning glare.

Even mostly destroyed, the ship was still pretty big, so they went in cautiously. The last thing they needed was to be ambushed again.

There were voices up ahead, though too muffled to distinguish the words.

Quill took out a grenade and motioned for the rest of them to stay back. He counted to three with his fingers and threw it at the corridor where the voices seemed to be coming from. It released a flash of light that would momentarily blind whoever was there, giving them the chance to attack unseen.

“THANOS!” Drax shouted, flinging a blade at a guy with a weird red cape, who deflected it with some kind of golden shield. In retaliation, the cape flew at Drax, half-smothering him and throwing him to the floor.

Quill and Rocket doubled teamed against the guy in the red and gold armor. Rocket shot him with his gun, sending him straight to Quill, who threw a few punches then used a magnetic disc to pin the guy to a column of the ship.

Meanwhile, Mantis and Groot went after the third person, a guy dressed in a blue and red armor, though this one was thinner.

“Ah! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Please don’t put your eggs on me!” Blue and Red Guy yelled, crawling backwards away from Mantis, then shooting her with some kind of web, pinning her arms to her body.

Quill flied at him feet-first, kicking him away from her. “Stay down, clown!”

The guy was really fast, though, and was up and coming at Quill in a second. Rocket shot him, but spider-like legs grew out of the armor and carried him away from the blast. He didn’t get very far, though, because Quill hit him with an electrified cord, sending the guy rolling across the deck.

“Die, blanket of death!” Drax cried, still struggling with the cape. Groot extended his arms and started to pull on it too, freeing Drax and getting tangled up himself.

Red and Gold also managed the get free of the magnet, and kicked Drax down, putting a foot on his torso. At the same time, he fired some sort of small missile at Rocket, causing him to lose his grip on his gun. He tried to leap at the guy, but was knocked on his ass by some kind of energy shield from Cape Guy (now sans cape), who did the same to Mantis. The cape itself had wrapped around Groot, immobilizing him.

“Alright, everybody, stay where you are. Chill the fuck out,” Quill yelled. He had Blue and Red in a head lock, a gun pointed at his head. He powered off his helmet, looking pretty damn pissed. Everyone stopped. “I’m gonna ask you this one time. Where’s Gamora?”

Red and Gold’s helmet retreated as well, revealing a human-looking dude with facial hair similar to Cape Guy. “Yeah, I’ll do you one better. Who’s Gamora?”

“Tell me where she is, or I swear to you, I’m gonna French-fry this little freak.” Quill answered, pressing his gun at his captive.

“Let’s do it! You shoot my guy, I blast him. Let’s go!” A cannon extended from Red and Gold’s armor, looking like an electric shark about to eat Drax’s face. Rocket had to admit that was a pretty cool piece of tech.

Drax growled. “Do it, Quill! I can take it.”

“No, he can’t take it,” Mantis said, still caught in the energy shield.

“Quiet,” Former Cape Guy told her.

Quill was running out of patience. “Oh yeah? You don’t wanna tell me where she is? That’s fine. I’ll kill all three of you and beat it out of Thanos myself.” He looked at Blue and Red. “Starting with you.”

Former Cape Guy frowned. “Wait, what? Thanos? Alright, let me ask you this one time: What master do you serve?”

“What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say? ‘Jesus’?” Quill replied, a little confused.

“You’re from Earth?” Red and Gold asked.

“I’m not from Earth. I’m from Missouri.”

“Yeah, that’s on _Earth_ , dip-shit. What are you hassling us for?”

Blue and Red leaned a little away from Quill. “So, you guys are not with Thanos?”

“ _With_ Thanos?!” Quill spurted indignantly. “No, we’re here to _kill_ Thanos! He took my girl.”

“All right, what the fuck is going on here?” Rocket asked. “Who the hell are you?” Thanos didn’t have minions from Earth. Quill’s home planet had no contact with the rest of the universe. They weren’t even supposed to be capable of space flight.

It was Blue and Red who answered. “We’re Earth’s Defense Squad, man.”

Rocket snorted. “And that’s supposed to mean something to us?”

“All right, let’s all calm down here.” Red and Gold released Drax, and Quill did the same with Blue and Red. The cape let go of Groot and flew back to Cape Guy, who made a motion with his hands, making the shield around Rocket and Mantis disappear. “Just to be clear, we all want to kill Thanos here, right?” Everyone nodded. “Awesome.” The entire armor retreated into a glowing device in the center of the man’s chest. “I’m Tony Stark. Iron Man.”

Blue and Red took off his armor as well. Rocket wasn’t an expert in humans, but the guy seemed awfully young. “I’m Peter Parker. Umm. Spider-Man.”

“Hey, I’m Peter too,” Quill said, smiling a little. “Peter Quill. Star Lord.” Then he pointed at each of their crew in turn. “That’s Drax, Mantis, Rocket and Groot.”

“And I’m Doctor Stephen Strange.” Cape Guy finished the introductions and they all stood around awkwardly for a while.

It was Quill who broke the silence. “Tony Stark. I know that name. You’re some big shot rich guy, right? I think I remember that.”

“Dude, I thought you were from Earth,” Spider-Man said. “How do you _not_ know Mr Stark? He’s only, like, super famous. Even people in the smallest remote villages know who he is.”

“Well, I haven’t actually been on Earth in 20 years,” Quill replied sheepishly. “I got kidnapped as a kid and just… you know… never went back.” He shrugged.

“Oh, that’s awful. Sorry, man. Also, wow, 20 years? That’s longer than I’ve been alive.”

“Great. Now I feel even older than I did when you talked about _Aliens_ ,” Stark muttered with an annoyed glance at the kid. Then he turned to Quill. “Let’s focus here, people. We have a job to do.”

Quill nodded. “Right. We need to find Thanos and find out what he did to Gamora. Then we kill him.”

“And Gamora is…?” Stark asked.

“She’s part of our group,” Rocket replied. _Part of our family_ , he thought. “Quill’s girlfriend. Thanos took her.”

“Why?”

Rocket exchanged a look with Quill. Could they trust these people? Quill made a small affirmative gesture, so Rocket continued. “She knows something he wanted, but we don’t know what. She didn’t tell us.” It had to be about the Stones, though. Why else would she have been so worried about Thanos getting it out of her?

Stark and Strange exchanged glances of their own, then the latter pointed outside. “This is probably going to take a while, so we might as well get comfortable someplace else.”

They walked out of the ship and found a flat expanse of ground to sit on, forming a circle. The Guardians sat in one half and the three humans in the other. Then the real conversation began.

The humans said they had been kidnapped/stowed away on the ship, which had attacked their planet. There had been two aliens on the ship. One had stayed behind on Earth, though Stark thought it wouldn’t last long. It had been fighting someone called the Hulk, who was apparently hugely strong. The other one had been blasted into space and was now dead. The description they gave of the aliens seemed to match what Gamora had told them about the Black Order, Thanos’s most loyal followers.

“There are four of them,” Quill informed them, sharing what they knew from Gamora’s account.

“Asgard was also attacked,” Stark said. “We don’t know if it was Thanos. It could have been these other two.”

“What’s Asgard?” Mantis asked.

“It’s another planet. Or realm, whatever. Allies of Earth. One of the Infinity Stones is there.”

Rocket’s ears twitched. He hated those Stones. “Which one?”

“Space.”

“Shit,” Quill cursed. “If Thanos gets that, he’ll be able to go anywhere. He already has Power and Reality.”

“Reality? Wasn’t that with some guy called the Collector?” Stark looked alarmed.

Quill nodded. “It was. Now Thanos has it. And he destroyed Xandar to get Power.”

“How did you know what? About the Reality Stone?” Rocket asked Stark. The humans seemed to be really well informed.

“Because it was Loki, former King of Asgard and a friend of mine, who put it there for safe-keeping. Not that it was all that safe, apparently.” Stark sighed. “That leaves only Soul unaccounted for. Could that be what your Gamora knew?”

“Wait, you know where the others are?” Quill asked.

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“Time is right here,” Strange said. He made a complicated gesture, and the necklace he was wearing opened up, revealing a green gem. Rocket shuddered involuntarily. “Mind is on Earth and Space, as we’ve said, is in Asgard.”

This was really not good, Rocket thought. If these humans knew where the Stones were, chances were that Thanos did too. After all, he had attacked both Earth and this Asgard place. If Gamora told Thanos where to find the Soul Stone, it would only be a matter of time before he gathered them all, and then it would be bye bye universe. Shit.

“But we’re gonna stop him, right?” Parker said, somewhat timidly. Rocket gave him a pitying look.

“Of course we will,” Quill responded with his usual bravado. He was full of shit, and anyone with half a brain could see it.

The kid didn’t seem reassured, and turned his pleading eyes to Stark instead.

The man didn’t say anything for a while, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Then he shook himself off and looked at each of them in turn, expression determined. “We are going to what whatever we can to stop him, because the alternative doesn’t bear think about. So we need a plan. We need to be smart. We got one advantage. This is where I’m guessing he’s going to meet his lackeys to get the Stones. That means he’s coming to us. We can use it.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, as far as suicidal plans were, but there was a big flaw there, which Rocket had to point out. “Except he already has two of the Stones. How are we supposed to fight him with that?”

“How is he using the Stones anyway?” Stark pointed at Strange. “As far as we know, using them isn’t easy. There’s gotta be some kind of containment device.”

“He has a Gauntlet,” Rocket replied. In his mind’s eye, he saw the Stones glowing as he, Mantis and Drax were unmade and had to fight down the panic again. Fucking Stones.

“Gamora told us he can use it to harness the power of the Stones. All of them at once, if he has them,” Quill added.

Stark tensed, apparently dealing with his own panic. “That’s not good. But… That means if we can take the Gauntlet away from him, we have a chance.”

Rocket shook his head. “Again, he has two Stones. And he kicked our asses pretty thoroughly before.” However, Thanos had been toying with them. He never actually used the full power of the Stones. He could have killed them all, but didn’t. “He’s arrogant, thinks he’s unbeatable,” he mused – which could very well be true. “We can use that.”

Stark nodded. “All right. So we draw him in, pin him down. Definitely don’t wanna dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet. Without the Stones, we can defeat him.”

“Yeah, no, that’s a shit plan,” Quill said. “Who the hell are you to just order us around, dude? We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy. So let me do the plan, and that way it might be really good.”

“That’s right,” Drax agreed.

“Yeah. We kick names, take ass,” Mantis added.

“I am Groot.”

“Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe,” Drax said.

“What dance-off?”

Quill grimaced. “It’s not a… it’s not… it’s nothing.”

“Like in _Footloose_ , the movie?” Parker asked.

“Exactly like _Footloose_ ,” Quill replied with excitement. “Is it still the greatest movie in history?”

“It never was.”

Quill frowned sadly at the kid. He opened his mouth but Rocket cut him off.

“Everybody shut up!” Rocket yelled, fed up with all this crap. Normally, he enjoyed his team’s banter. It was fun, it made them laugh and relax. Now was not the time, though. Rocket was scared out of his fucking mind, and all this joking and posturing was getting on his last nerves. Gamora might be dead, they might be next, and the whole fucking universe was in danger. “Enough.” He turned to Quill. “Your plans are shit, we all know that.” He made eye contact with the rest of the crew. “And the human is making sense. So if you want to save Gamora, how about you get over yourself and start helping? Because I do _not_ want to die on this stupid rock.”

His words were followed by a tense silence, until Quill’s shoulders slumped and he mumbled something no one could quite understand.

“Right,” Stark said, shooting a grateful glance at Rocket. “Let’s try this again.”

They continued bouncing ideas around, this time with more collaboration, and they learned more about each other as well.

Stark was a big hero on his planet, thanks to the suit he was wearing – and that he had created himself. Rocket scoffed that it was nowhere near where the rest of the universe was in terms of technology, but he was actually impressed. Strange had magical powers, which didn’t make any sense to Rocket. Parker was indeed a kid, though stronger than any of them – despite his thin wiry frame. He had also created webs that were strong and durable, and could be used for attack, defense and restraints.

After they had talked about as much as they could about the plan, they had nothing else to do but wait. They each went their separate ways to prepare, forming smaller groups around the area.

Rocket found himself watching Stark as the man tinkered with something in his suit.

“I though Quill’s planet was a backwater kind of place,” he said.

Stark shrugged. “I suppose it is, compared to the rest of the universe. Though this is my first time out of Earth. Well, sort of.” He got a faraway look for a moment, then refocused and chuckled. “Never thought I’d be having a conversation with a talking raccoon.”

“What’s a raccoon?”

Stark opened his mouth then closed it again. “Never mind.”

“Excuse me,” Mantis said, approaching them cautiously, “but does your friend often _do_ that?”

She was pointing at Strange, who was sitting cross-legged, floating slightly above the ground, his hands poised in a weird mystic gesture with the Time Stone glowing brightly in its setting. Green vapor-like energy flowed from the stone, and more intricate magical energy patterns circled the man’s forearms. The cape – called the Cloak of Levitation, apparently – flowed behind him as if the Stone was creating a strong breeze. His eyes were closed, and his head was jerking rapidly from side to side, the motion blurring. It seemed a bit like he was searching for something.

Stark watched for a moment, brow furrowed, then jogged over to his friend. “Strange! You alright?”

There was no response. Everyone gathered around to see what was going on, but Stark motioned for them to keep their distance. Despite the odd blurring, he didn’t seem to be in pain or in danger, so they just waited.

It took a few minutes, then Strange finally snapped out of his trance and fell forward with a cry.

Stark and Parker got him back on his feet again.

“You’re back. You’re alright,” Stark said, as if talking to a spooked animal.

“What was that?” Parker asked the question that was in everyone’s mind.

Strange panted. “I used the Time Stone to view alternate realities, past and future. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.”

“How many did you see?” Quill asked.

“14,000,605.”

Wow. That was a _lot_. How was that even possible? Fucking Infinity Stones.

Stark looked like he was afraid to ask, but did anyway. “How many did we win?”

Strange stared intently at Stark for a moment. “One.”

Shit.


	10. Chapter 9 - Battle on Titan

**Titan**

They had been on the planet – Titan, he’d learned, Thanos’s home planet – for a couple of hours. Tony was starting to worry that Thanos wasn’t going to show after all.

He was trying really hard not to think about the mess they were in. He was trying not to think about whatever was happening in Asgard. The so-called Guardians of the Galaxy (the name was a joke, he thought, because this group was as much of a mess as the Avengers had been, though at least they didn’t seem like they were one disagreement away from stabbing each other in the back) said Thanos didn’t have the Space Stone, and he was choosing to interpret that as his minions having failed to take it. Hopefully that meant Loki and Thor were fine. They had to be.

“Hey, everyone!” Rocket called, running up to where they had hidden the Guardians’ ship. “There’s a ship headed this way. Looks like it’s Thanos.”

“All right, guys. It’s show time,” Tony said.

Everyone nodded and took their positions, looking a mixture of scared, determined and angry. They had to do this right, because they probably wouldn’t get a second chance. This had to be their one victory.

The ship descended and a single person stepped out of it. Thanos.

The being that had sent Loki and the Chitauri to attack New York, the one responsible for Tony’s nightmares. The one who had Loki tortured and mind controlled him into attacking Earth.

He was big, probably about the same size as the Hulk – and likely just as strong even without the Stones. His skin was a creepy purplish color, and he was wearing golden armor. In his left hand was the Gauntlet – with three gleaming Stones in it, one red, one purple and one orange.

Fuck. He’d gotten another one.

Was it the Tesseract? Tony didn’t know. He couldn’t see it well enough from his hiding place, and he didn’t know what color the Space Stone was. It could be the same blue as the Tesseract, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was orange underneath the device that housed it. Shit.

Thanos, looking confident and powerful, walked calmly towards where Strange was sitting in wait. It made chills go down Tony’s spine. This bastard was not gonna go down easily, that was for sure.

“Oh, yeah, you’re much more of a ‘Thanos’,” Strange said, making a good show of nonchalance.

Thanos stopped a little away from Strange and cocked his head. “I take it Ebony Maw is dead.” Really? Squidward was called Ebony Maw? What the hell kind of name was that? “This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission.”

“You may regret that,” Strange replied. “He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts.” Yep, that was bravado all right. Strange sure had balls.

“And where do you think he brought _you_?”

Tony could see Quill crouched behind some wreckage, his weapon at the ready, behind Thanos. Peter peeked from above and behind Strange. On the other side of what used to be a plaza were Tony, Rocket and Mantis. The others were scattered in different locations. For now, they seemed to have gone undetected.

“Let me guess. Your home?”

“It was. And it was beautiful.” Thanos smiled as if reminiscing, then curled his gauntlet fist and activated the Reality Stone. An image of what must have been Titan before its destruction materialized all around them like one of Tony’s holograms. There were green lawns, intact buildings, water-filled ponds, strolling citizens and structures hovering and connected to the ground-based buildings with beams of energy. “Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution.”

“Genocide.”

“But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass.” He relaxed his fist and the illusion faded back into the true state of Titan – dead and in ruins.

Yep, the guy was super crazy. He sure earned that Mad Titan moniker.

“Congratulations. You’re a prophet,” Strange said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m a survivor.”

“Who wants to murder trillions.”

“With all six Stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that… mercy.”

Strange stood. “And then what?”

“I finally rest… and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

Jesus fucking Christ, was this guy for real? Did he really think anyone would be _grateful_? Did he really thing that plan was a _good_ one? That it would actually _solve_ anything? Tony hadn’t heard such delusion since Steve Rogers’s trial, and that was saying something, because Rogers was completely cut off from reality. This guy, though, managed to be _worse_. And he was actually scarily close to accomplishing what he wanted. The entire universe at the hands of a mad man who lacked basic knowledge of ecology and economy.

Fuck.

Strange summoned his golden magic and assumed a fighting pose. “I think you’ll find our will equal to yours.”

And that was their cue.

“Ours?” Thanos looked up to a see the chunk of wreckage Tony had just thrown at him. He couldn’t get out of the way in time and was crushed.

Tony didn’t relax. It couldn’t be that easy.

Of course it wasn’t. The wreckage on top of Thanos erupted in purple as he yelled in rage. The Reality Stone glowed red and the hovering fragments turned into a flock of bats which flew straight at Tony, making him have to go on a wild flight to get rid of them.

Peter managed to web Thanos’s eyes, and swung in to kick him in the face at the same time that Drax leapt from cover, blades in both hands, to try for a tendon slice across the back of the Titan’s knee. Rocket was on Drax’s back, and jumped up to fire at Thanos with his gun.

The shots had no effect, except for distracting Thanos enough for Strange to sneak closer through a portal and ensnare him with his energy ropes. Thanos danced away from Drax and punched him through a wall, ropes and all, yanking on Strange, who had to dissolve the energy or end up within Thanos’ reach. Then Thanos tore off the webs from his eyes and kicked at Strange. Tony, having finally gotten rid of the bats, fired at Thanos, giving Strange time to raise a shield to defend himself.

Meanwhile, Quill and Groot had been making their way back on the ground and were able to come in from behind him, Quill with a shot and Groot entangling him in vines. Thanos used the Power Stone to shoot balls of energy at Quill and Groot, who retreated. Quill recovered quickly and leapt towards Thanos using magical platforms thrown by Strange, the last one placed above Thanos’s head so Quill could flip over him and slap a mine on Thanos’s back. Then he fell back into another portal with a yell.

“Boom!”

The explosion knocked Thanos to his knees and dazed him briefly.

The Cloak rushed over to Thanos and wrapped itself around his left hand, preventing him from closing his fist and using the Gauntlet again.

Strange started throwing portals everywhere, and Peter and Rocket took advantage of them to appear and disappear from around Thanos, landing kicks, punches and energy blasts at every turn.

It worked for a while. Then one of Thanos’s wild swings hit Rocket and sent him tumbling to the ground. As Thanos completed the turn, he was able to grab Peter by the throat.

“Insect!” he roared, and threw Peter at Strange, knocking them both down. He yanked on the Cloak, tearing it off.

Tony used his smaller missiles to distract him, but Thanos got the Power Stone to turn the explosions back towards Tony, who was forced to dodge away.

Taking advantage of Thanos’s focus on Tony, Peter webbed the Gauntlet and pulled. It was no good, though, since the Titan was far too strong. He yanked on the web instead, and Peter went flying in his direction, barely avoiding the fist coming at his head.

Just as Thanos tore the webbing free of the Gauntlet, a small spaceship crash-landed on him, dragging him along and burying him under debris. He shook it off and stood. The pilot leapt in a great arc to punch him, landing in front of him with an energy-blade at the ready.

It was a blue skinned woman, likely the ally the Guardians had been expecting. Nebula, if Tony remembered correctly.

“Well, well,” Thanos drolled.

“You should have killed me,” Nebula hissed.

“Would’ve been a waste of parts. But don’t worry, I fully intend to do so now.”

Nebula attacked him with her swords. “Where’s Gamora?”

Thanos tossed her away. Strange used some weird magical relic to trap the gauntlet, pulling Thanos’s fingers open and trying to pry the gauntlet off his hand. Drax slid in from his right, kicking his knee, then wrapping himself around the leg. Quill shot an electric trap onto the ground, holding down his unarmored hand. Peter webbed Thanos’s chest then wrapped it around behind him, digging his Iron Spider legs into the ground to anchor himself. Strange opened a portal directly above Thanos’s head, out of which dropped Mantis, landing on the Titan’s shoulders, her hands on his temples.

They had finally managed to subdue Thanos. Now all they had to do was get the Gauntlet off of him.

Tony landed and pulled on it.

“Don’t let up, Mantis,” he told her.

“Be quick. He is very strong.”

“Rocket, Groot, help! She can’t hold him much longer.”

The two joined Tony in trying to tug the Gauntlet off.

Quill came around to stand in front of Thanos. “I thought you’d be harder to catch,” he taunted. “Not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?”

Thanos’s eyes twitched. “My… Gamora…?”

“Where is she?”

“He is in anguish,” Mantis said, sounding shocked.

“Good.” Quill snarled.

Mantis started to cry. “He… he mourns.”

“What does this monster have to mourn?” Drax asked.

“Gamora,” Nebula whispered, looking shattered. “He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone… but she didn’t.”

Oh, shit. This was not good. Tony could see Quill’s lips trembling, and he knew the man was about to do something stupid. He retracted the faceplate to try to reach him before it was too late.

“Quill, you gotta cool it right now, you understand?” He didn’t listen, slowly turning to Thanos. “Don’t. Quill, don’t engage, we’ve almost got this off!”

It wasn’t sinking in. “Tell me she’s lying. Tell me you didn’t do it!” Quill’s voice shook with anger.

“I… had… to.”

“No, you didn’t… You didn’t.” Quill’s eyes shone with unshed tears, then he went from grief to rage, and punched Thanos in the face. “NO!”

Mantis’s hold on Thanos slipped and she screamed.

“Damn it, Quill!” Tony re-engaged the helmet and took hold of Quill’s arm. “Stop it, damn it.”

“It’s coming off,” Peter yelled. “I got it!”

The fingers came apart, but Thanos woke before Peter could get the Gauntlet completely off, and he was _not_ happy. Fuck it all.

He shook Mantis off of him and shoved Quill away. He yanked this left hand towards him, sending Peter, Rocket and Groot to the floor far away. Then he dislodged Drax from his leg and Strange’s contraption from his right hand. Tony fired at him, but it was too late. Thanos closed his fist, activated the Power Stone and sent a pulse of energy that scattered all of them. Rocket, Groot, Quill, Mantis, Drax, Nebula and Strange were out for the count. Only Peter and Tony were left, though the kid was clearly wobbly. 

_Shit shit shit_ , Tony thought, firing up his arm cannon. Thanos raised the Gauntlet and dissipated the blast easily. The Gauntlet glowed red and purple as Thanos pointed it at the distant moon. Tony could hardly believe it as part of the _fucking moon_ came crashing down into the planet straight at him.

The impact had warnings flashing all over the hud display, but the suit held and Tony was not, in fact, crushed to death. Thank god for all the reinforcements Tony had installed after being slammed around one too many times by various villains.

It took considerable power from the Reactor, though, both to keep the integrity of the suit and to blow his way out of the crater he ended up in.

When he managed to get free, he saw that the planet’s gravitational field had been affected, and the unconscious Guardians were floating all over the place. Peter was frantically trying to help them, webbing them and anchoring them to something not moving while the Cloak was leading Strange to safety.

Thanos himself was reeling from the sudden loss of gravity as well, which gave Tony an opportunity to go on the offensive again, firing shot after shot. He couldn’t do anything alone, though. He didn’t have enough firepower. He needed someone to back him up.

“You cannot win,” Thanos said with a grin. Fucking smug bastard.

Tony kept flying, shooting and dodging, and not making a single dent in the fucker. Then Strange was back in the fray, wrapping golden ropes around Thanos’s arms and calling up some kind of lightening blast. It got Thanos down, but he was up again pretty fast. Strange multiplied himself, forming a circular wall around a snarling Thanos. They all call cast magical cords, wrapping around Thanos’s torso, arms and hands. Despite all that, the Titan managed to close his fist. The Stones glowed and all but the real Strange disappeared. Thanos lunged in his direction and grasped him by the throat with his right hand.

“You’re full of tricks, wizard.”

Tony fired again, trying to give Strange the opening to get away. Thanos activated the Gauntled again, rebounding the shot back to Tony.

By the time Tony had righted himself, he found Thanos prying Strange’s necklace out of him

“Yet you never once used your greatest weapon.” He crushed the device with the Time Stone; there was nothing in it. “A fake.” He threw Strange away hard enough to knock him out against a rock.

Sensing his chance, Tony sent a nanite cluster to Thanos’s hand, keeping his fingers open.

“You throw another moon at me, and I’m gonna to lose it,” he said. Fuck, he needed to end this.

“Stark.”

That brought Tony up short. “You know me?”

“I do. You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.”

What the fuck? How did this bastard know about him? “My only curse is you.” He deployed more rockets, which exploded in Thanos’s face. He followed it up with more cannon blasts, then flew at him at top speed, smashing the guy against a ruined wall. The gloves turned into battering rams and Tony punched repeatedly.

Even without the Stones, the fucker was way too strong, and managed to block the hit, reaching forward to tear Tony’s helmet off. For a second, he saw the Titan with his own eyes instead of the internal display, and the momentary distraction cost him. Just as the suit reformed, Thanos punched hard. When Tony scrambled to his feet again, Thanos already had his left hand free.

The Power Stone glowed again, and Tony hastily erected a shield to protect himself from the massive burst of power. As soon as the energy died down, Tony was up and moving with full thrusters, kicking Thanos in the face, turning the boot into a ground clamp to pin the Gauntlet. At the same time, he made his right glove into a ram again and slammed into Thanos, cutting his cheek.

“All that for a drop of blood,” Thanos panted.

With a smile, he freed himself and went on the offensive. It was all Tony could do to block the blows coming his way, and eventually he missed one and was momentarily stunned. Thanos picked him up by the helmet and fired a blast at his torso, further depleting the nanites, which were barely enough to keep all of him covered now.

Tony went stumbling back, landing awkwardly on one knee. Fuck, he was so tired, but he had to keep going. Drawing strength from pure stubbornness at this point, Tony fired again.

It wasn’t enough. His power was almost gone, and Thanos was still coming. Using the Power Stone to deflect the energy, Thanos walked right up to Tony and backhanded what was left of the helmet off his head. Tony raised his arms in front of his face to cushion the following blow, and was grabbed and lifted by one arm. In desperation, Tony morphed the remains of the other arm into a sword to jab Thanos with. It, too, was easily caught. Thanos snapped it in two and drove it into Tony’s unprotected abdomen, then let him go.

Tony dropped to his knees but refused to lie down and die. He stared up at Thanos with as much defiance as he still had. He knew it was over, though. He could feel the blood slowly seeping down from the wound, his vision greying out at the edges.

He was going to die in this fucking rock and never see Loki or any of his friends again.

Fuck.

“You have my respect, Stark. When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you.”

“Go to hell, you piece of shit,” Tony gurgled out, breaths coming in short pained gasps.

Thanos raised the Gauntlet, closing his fist, all three Stones glowing.

“Stop!”

Strange was staggering up in their direction, dust and blood on his face and clothes.

“Stop. Spare his life… and I will give you the Stone.”

Thanos cocked his head. “No tricks.”

“No, don’t! Strange, what the fuck are you doing? Don’t give it him.” Tony tried to stand, but all he managed to do was to slide to his side. “Don’t.”

Strange reached up and made a motion with his trembling fingers and the Time Stone materialized from wherever the hell it was to float in front of the sorcerer.

Thanos grinned and snatched the Stone from the air, placing it in the empty thumb slot in the Gauntlet. There was a burst of green light, and then all four Stones glowed with power. “Two to go.” He raised his fist again and sent a pulse of light at them.

When they could see again, he was gone.

For a while, Tony could only lie there, eyes watering in pain and fear. He looked at Strange, too tired for anger. “Why would you do that? You said… You said if it came down to a choice… You would make the right one.”

Strange shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Then Tony knew no more.


	11. Chapter 10 - Second wave

**Earth**

As soon as they arrived at the Tower, Loki asked for Tony.

“The DS are gathered at the Compound,” Jarvis told him, making Hela jump and twirl her blades around.

“This is Jarvis,” Loki made the introductions. “He is an Artificial Intelligence created by Tony. Jarvis, this is Hela. My sister.” He knew that Thor had told Hela about Loki’s true origins, yet it didn’t seem to have made much difference to her. Since she didn’t know either of them, Loki supposed it hardly mattered whether they actually shared blood or not. She had accepted that Loki was Thor’s brother, and therefore hers as well without much fuss. Loki himself had not yet the opportunity to talk to her about it – of much of anything else, really. Though they had learned that her mother was long dead, they still didn’t know who she had been. Thor said he hadn’t wanted to ask too many questions yet, as he didn’t know what would be a sensitive subject.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Jarvis replied. There was an odd tone in his voice Loki didn’t care for. They should meet the others straight away.

“Come on,” he told Hela. “We must go.”

She gave the whole room a suspicious look, but allowed Loki to take her arm, and within moments they were at the Compound. Loki had been there several times over the last few months. While Tony and Loki still lived at the Tower, the Compound had become their headquarters, where they trained and made plans to organize Earth’s defense. Usually, the place was bursting with people working either in the research labs or it the conference rooms, coordinating with others all around the world. Today, the entrance was strangely empty.

“Friday? Where is everyone? Where is Tony?” he asked.

“Col Rhodes is on his way to meet with you, Loki,” the female AI replied. “It is good to have you back.”

“Thanks.”

There was something wrong, Loki could tell. Tony should have been here to greet him as soon as he’d heard of Loki’s return. Was Tony injured? Why wasn’t he here?

“Loki. It’s good to see you, man.”

Rhodes’s expression gave nothing away, but the slight tension on his shoulders could not be a good sign. He inclined his head to Hela and gestured for them to follow him inside.

“Where is Tony?”

Rhodes didn’t pause. “We have a lot to discuss, and it’s best to get everyone together so we don’t have to repeat ourselves.”

Something was definitely wrong and Loki wanted to demand answers right this second. Tony had to be all right. He had to.

They were led to Conference Room 1, the biggest one in the Compound. All the DS members were there, Loki noticed, except for Tony and Dr Strange. His nervousness increased. Where was Tony, dammit?

Rhodes took care of the introductions, since Hela didn’t know anyone apart from Bruce – and Loki wasn’t sure she even realized the human was the same green berserker who had smashed her into the ground during her unsuccessful bid for the throne. It was clear that Jarvis had given everyone a heads-up about Hela, and Bruce must have told them what he knew about her. The looks she was getting were wary and suspicious, but Loki wasn’t interested in that right now.

“Where is Tony?” he asked again through gritted teeth, his tone making it clear that he wasn’t going to take another evasive answer.

Rhodes sighed. “He’s… We don’t know. Tony, Strange and Spider-Man were abducted by one of Thanos’s generals.”

Loki felt his blood run cold. “What do you mean abducted?”

“They got on the ship and the ship disappeared off into space. Probably to meet Thanos. Strange had the Time Stone with him.”

Oh Norns. No, that was terrible news. The Stone. Shit. Tony couldn’t be gone. He _couldn’t_.

“What did this ship look like?” Hela asked, speaking for the first time. Loki tried to focus back on the conversation, pushing thoughts of Tony being _gone_ out of his mind.

“It was… roundish,” Bruce answered. “Very big.”

Hela nodded. “Like the one that attacked Asgard, then. There were two of this Thanos’s generals and an army of… foot soldiers, I suppose.”

Everyone tensed at that piece of news.

“The Tesseract?” Vision asked. At least the Mind Stone was still right there in the middle of his forehead.

“Taken,” Hela said. “Thor tried to stop them, but the two generals escaped with it. We were overrun by the soldiers. There were too many of them.”

“Damn,” Hope said. She and Scott Lang were the latest additions to the team and Loki didn’t know them well.

“So they have the Space Stone and possibly the Time Stone as well,” Rhodes said. “What about the others? Do you know anything?”

“The Aether was with the Collector,” Loki replied, mind still reeling over Tony’s absence. “The Bifrost was destroyed in the battle, so we have no way to send someone to check on it.”

Rhodes frowned. “Doesn’t Asgard have ships?”

“Not ones capable of that kind of long travel. Last time we rented one from the Dwarves of Nidavellir to take the Stone there. That is no longer possible. In any case, given that Thanos knew to send his generals to both Asgard and Earth, I have to assume he knows the Aether’s location as well.”

“Which means he must have it already. The attack on Earth happened right after you left,” Rhodes said.

Right after he left? “How long has Tony been gone?” _Please let him be all right. Please_.

“It’s been almost 48hs,” Bruce replied.

 _That’s too long_ , Loki thought. Even if he had come back sooner, it wouldn’t have made any difference. Tony was taken shortly after Loki’s departure. He shouldn’t have left. He should have been here.

“What can you tell us about the alien soldiers that attacked Asgard?” Rhodes directed his question to Hela, probably because he wanted to give Loki a moment. He wanted to be angry, but he knew he needed it.

He tuned out Hela’s response, since he already knew what she was going to say.

Where was Tony? And Strange and the Spider-boy, they had been taken too, he remembered. Well, at least Tony wasn’t alone. Loki tried not to despair. Tony was smart and resourceful. He had survived a lot of dangerous situations. If anyone could come back, it would be him. Strange was no slouch either. While Loki found the sorcerer grating most of the time, he was competent and his magic was strong. The Spider-kid was an enhanced human, powerful and resilient. The three of them could survive, he thought. They were not helpless at all.

Unless they met Thanos himself.

 _No, don’t think about that. Tony will be fine. He’ll come back. He’ll come back to me_.

With an effort, he focused back on the discussion going on around him. The humans had already come up with a plan, which they now had to adjust to account for the new information given. There was nothing Loki could do for Tony right now except continue to protect the planet, so that was what he was going to do. He had to have faith that Tony would find his way back.

“Do you really think you can destroy the Mind Stone?” Loki asked when they explained that part of the plan.

“We don’t know, but we’re going to try,” was Rhodes’s answer. “But… From what we know, either Thanos or his generals are on his way here with a massive army, worse than the Chitauri.”

Loki nodded. “I believe so, yes.”

“Maybe Bruce would be more useful as the Hulk, helping us fight the army. They sound right up his alley.”

“That’s true.” Loki turned to the man in question. “Isn’t there anyone else who can do the work to remove the Stone from Vision’s head? Can’t Jarvis and Friday handle it?”

“We cannot.” It was Jarvis himself who answered. “While part of the work involves re-programing the synapses, some of it must be done physically, and Friday and I lack a physical body.”

“You could use one of the suits,” Scott suggested.

“The suit is not capable of the kind of precision work this would require.”

“Well, I’m not a physicist, but I am an engineer, and I know a bit about computers,” Scott continued. “Maybe I could help? If you tell me what to do, I mean. I’ve got hands.” He raised them in front of himself.

Rhodes nodded. “That’s a good idea, Scott. Thanks. You stay with Bruce. If it looks like we’ll need the Hulk, you take over.”

“In the meantime, we have the Hulkbuster armor,” Jarvis reminded them. “I have also taken the liberty of giving Friday clearance to pilot a suit by herself.”

“I’ll do my best, I promise,” Friday said. Loki knew that Tony hadn’t wanted to give Friday, who was relatively young, that kind of responsibility yet, but desperate times called for desperate measures, of course. Jarvis himself could pilot several suits simultaneously, which would give them addition firepower.

“When can you get started on the removal, Bruce?” Rhodes asked.

“The last piece of equipment should arrive shortly, and we’ll start preparing everything. So, in a couple of hours. I would appreciate your help, Scott.”

Scott nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

“So, Bruce and Scott will deal with Vision and the Stone,” Rhodes continued. “The rest of us will focus on keeping the generals from getting to them and dealing with the army. Loki, Wong, can you work some kind of shield around the perimeter? We need to keep those things contained or we’re gonna have a bloodbath on our hands.”

Loki nodded, as did Wong.

“According to Loki and Hela, the soldiers die relatively easy, the problem is that there’s a lot of them, so we need to destroy as many as we can as fast as we can to keep from being overwhelmed. We’ll have help from fighter jets and tanks. Me, Jarvis and Friday with the suits will join the jets in the air. Loki, Hela and Wong will take the grounds around the Compound along with the tanks the military is sending over. Wong, can you get your people to protect to protect the guys in the tank?”

Wong nodded.

“What about me?” Hope asked.

“Being essentially invisible in the middle of a battlefield isn’t safe for you. You could be hit by friendly fire too easily. It’s best if you stay with Bruce and Scott and help us coordinate between teams.”

“All right.”

“Loki, we took one of the aliens that came in the ship prisoner. He’s in the Hulk proof room. We haven’t been able to get anything out of him, but it might be because he doesn’t understand us. Can you give it a try? We might get some helpful information.”

“Of course.”

With that, the meeting dispersed. Bruce and Scott went to the lab with Wong, who had offered to portal the equipment they needed in to save time. Rhodes and Hope had to update the world’s authorities on what they’d learned and their plans. Vision asked to accompany Loki and Hela to interrogate the prisoner.

The creature was massive, about as big as the Hulk. As soon as he saw them, he roared and punched the glass, which held admirably well. Of course it did, Loki, thought; it had been designed by Tony.

“Why did you come to this planet?” Loki asked.

“You will all perish when Thanos has completed his mission,” the creature responded with a snarl.

“Do you have a name?”

“I am Cull Obsidian of the Black Order – the Children of Thanos. Your planet is doomed.”

Loki didn’t bother to tell Obsidian that he was not from Earth. “What is Thanos’s mission?”

“To bring balance to the universe.”

That surprised Loki. As far as he knew, Thanos simply liked to kill people. “How?”

Obsidian eagerly told them of Thanos’s ‘mission’, and Loki was not the only one horrified by it. Both Vision and Hela looked just as flabbergasted by the whole thing. Apparently Vision didn’t need Loki to translate – a side effect of the Mind Stone, probably.

“That is insane,” Hela said, and that was saying something, given her previous desire to subjugate the Nine Realms (and possibly beyond). Conquering, however misguided a notion, at least made some sense. This… This was indeed crazy.

“Killing half of all life in the universe will not bring balance,” Vision said, as if he was explaining things to a small child. “On the contrary, it would likely cause a catastrophic snowball effect which would result in an enormous additional loss of life.”

“Also, you might be one of the ones to die,” Hela pointed out.

It was useless, though, Loki could tell. Obsidian was a fanatic, and nothing they said would change his mind. He flat out stated that he would be happy to die for the cause, if that was what was required of him. Still, at least they’d gotten _something_.

It did not change their plans when Loki reported their discovery to the others, but it gave them additional insight which may be useful at some point. A man with a mission – insane as it might be – could perhaps listen to a counter argument, whereas a man hell-bent on destruction for destruction’s sake would most definitely not. Not that Loki had any hope that Thanos could be reasoned with, of course, but humans liked to have those options, he knew.

The rest of their time was spent in preparation. Since Loki would be no help to Bruce in the lab, he took the opportunity to talk to Hela a bit more and get her up to speed on their human allies.

“I have to admit they seem to know how to prepare for battle,” Hela said. “It is not what I was expecting. I thought Midgard was a backwater realm.”

“They have grown quite a lot since the last time Asgard took an interest in them,” Loki replied.

“And this Tony you were so concerned about? Who is he?”

Loki hesitated only slightly before answering. He wasn’t going to hide who he was anymore, and if she didn’t like it… Well, that would be her problem, not his.

“He is the leader of this group, one of the most accomplished minds and heroes of the realm. And my lover.”

If Hela was surprised by that last bit, she didn’t show it. “Then I hope for your sake that he yet lives.”

Now _that_ surprised him. He had not expected that kind of sympathy from her. Perhaps he had underestimated her. “Thank you.”

“Loki, Wong is asking for you,” Friday said, startling Hela.

“You get used to it after a while,” Loki told her with a smile. He had spent a few months being constantly surprised by Tony’s AIs until he started expecting them to chime in at any time with either an observation or an announcement. “Would you like to come with me?” He didn’t want to leave her alone, yet he also didn’t want her to think she had to be shackled to him at all times.

She shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

Once the shields were all in place, Rhodes called them back to meet with the military people who would be assisting them with the jets and tanks, to make sure that everyone was familiar with each other and on the same page about everything.

Then all that was left to do was wait.

*****

It was Jarvis who alerted them to the arrival of the ship. It was the same type that had attacked Asgard and Earth before. Despite their worry that the ship would attack indiscriminately, it didn’t happen. It went directly to the Compound, confirming their suspicion that they could somehow track the Mind Stone.

“All right, everyone,” Rhodes said as they watched the ship approach. “Bruce, Scott and Vision are still working on removing the Stone and destroying it, so we need to give them time and protect them. Keep in contact through the comms and let someone know if you’re in trouble. Good luck.”

The moment the ship landed, Rhodes, Jarvis in the Hulkbuster armor and the tanks fired on it. However, the ship seemed to have some type of force field, and their weapons had no effect.

Then the soldiers began streaming out. Even though Loki and Hela had described them to the humans, he could still hear their exclamations of surprise at the sheer number of bodies suddenly swarming the space between the ship and the Compound building.

“Avoid getting too close if you can,” Rhodes said, “we don’t want anyone hit by friendly fire.” He swept over the mass of writhing creature dropping missiles everywhere, making alien parts fly.

Then the battle began in earnest, and Loki had to concentrate on his own surroundings.

It was very similar to how it had gone in Asgard, though the humans had more long range weapons. Even so, the number of aliens meant that many escaped those weapon and continued on to the Compound, where Loki, Hela, Wong and some of his sorcerers tried to keep them from getting in.

After a while, Loki became aware of two new aliens entering the battle field. They looked exactly like Hela had described.

“Looks like I’ll get the chance for round two,” Hela said, setting her sights on the woman, Proxima Midnight. “The woman is mine.”

The male, Corvus Glaive, dodged Rhodes’s shots and ran straight for the Compound. Loki cursed and chased after him.

Glaive was strong and fast, Loki knew, but he did not have magic, which gave Loki an advantage. He teleported into the other’s path and blasted him back. He followed the attack with several daggers, but Glaive was able to evade them. He swung his glaive at Loki, making Loki jump back to avoid being cut in half; that thing looked wicked sharp.

“You are only delaying the inevitable. Thanos will be victorious,” Glaive said with a snarl.

“It’s not over yet,” Loki countered. As long as Thanos wasn’t here, they had a chance. And if they could really destroy the Mind Stone, they would derail his plans of uniting the Stones for good. Of course, having five of the six would still make him nearly invincible, but he had to think of one thing at a time.

Loki created a few clones to confuse Glaive and circled him, waiting for an opening.

“Guys! Loki! Heads up!” Rhodes’s voice came in through the comms, and Loki took his attention off Glaive to see a massive spiked wheel hurling towards him.

 _Shit_ , he thought, and jumped out of the way just in time. When he regained his footing, he saw that there were four more of those things roaming about shredding everything in their path, including Thanos’s soldiers. One of them headed towards one of the tanks, and Wong shot a blast of magic at it. It wasn’t enough to destroy it, but at least knocked it off its course.

Shaking his head, Loki returned his focus to his own fight, but Glaive had used the distraction to escape.

“Where is Glaive? I can’t see him anymore.”

“He is heading for the lab,” Jarvis told him, and Loki didn’t waste time, teleporting directly there.

Damn it. This was not going well.


	12. Chapter 11 - Stonekeeper

**Space**

The silence in the ship was deafening. Rocket was sitting in the pilot’s chair, aggressively pushing buttons and muttering to himself. Quill sat dejectedly next to him. Drax was sharpening his swords with single-minded determination. Nebula started straight ahead from the corner she had commandeered, lost in her own world. Groot was fiddling with what looked like an old Gameboy console with the sound off, though he didn’t seem to actually be paying much attention to the game. Mantis was curled up in one of the beds in the lower portion of the ship, along with a still unconscious Stark. Young Peter was sitting with him to, as he’d said, “keep him company”.

Stephen felt more exhausted than he had after a 24hs shift in the ER. All he wanted to do was curl into bed and sleep for a month, but it was not over yet.

After Thanos had left, Stephen had stared at the spot where he had disappeared from with a heavy heart. Then, moving stiffly, he had gone over to Stark to offer what help he could. Just as he had reached the man, Peter had shown up, carrying Mantis and Rocket’s unconscious forms.

“Is he…?” he boy had asked, and Stephen could tell he was on the verge of tears even through the mask.

“No.”

The kid had slumped in relief, carefully laid his charges on the ground, then left to go get the others.

The two of them were the only ones still awake, and together they assessed the rest of group. Stark was the most critical one; the others had minor bruises and scrapes, and would recover fully.

“What happened? Did we lose?”

Stephen hadn’t known what to say to that, so he had ignored it in order to focus on Stark. Magic wasn’t great for healing, but it was the best he could do at the time. He would need medical supplies for proper treatment – and likely a more stable pair of hands, as his own had been shaking uncontrollably.

Eventually, one by one, the others had regained consciousness. Stephen had had to repeat that Thanos had gotten the Time Stone and left at least three times, and by the last one he had been ready to scream. Thankfully, Peter had taken over delivering the news at that point, and dealt with the anger and disbelief that had followed, doing his best to diffuse the tension that had formed.

“Thanos is going to Earth,” Stephen had said, once they had all been ready to listen and start making plans again. “That’s where the Mind Stone is.”

“Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight were able to get the Space Stone,” Nebula had reported in a flat emotionless tone. “They were going to meet Thanos somewhere. This Earth seems like a likely candidate.”

“So we’re going home? How?” Peter had taken his mask off, and he looked so young it hurt. Stephen had wished the kid had never gotten involved in any of this.

“We have our ship. It might have been damaged, though.” Quill had motioned to the debris littering the surface of Titan. When Thanos had destroyed a chunk of the moon, the planet’s gravitational system had been affected, which had no doubt impacted the ship in some way. Plus the battle itself had caused quite a lot of destruction to everything around them. And Nebula’s ship was completely wrecked, having been used as a battering ram against Thanos.

The Guardians had then gone to check on their ship – their only means of getting off the planet – leaving Strange alone with Peter. The kid had taken his mask off and sat beside Stark, utterly lost. Stephen had search for words of comfort and had found none. His bedside manner had never been the best, and at that moment even his meager offerings had deserted him entirely.

The ship did indeed need repairs, but between Rocket, Nebula – and, surprisingly, Peter – they were able to get it running again. In the meantime, Mantis had located their medkit, and had helped Stephen with Stark. Within a couple of hours, they were off, flying through space all cramped together in misery and defeat.

Stephen had expected an interrogation about what had happened on the planet, but no one had seemed particularly interested in how exactly they had lost. Instead, everyone had retreated to their corners, licking their wounds in private – and in silence.

It was beginning to fray his already shattered nerves.

“How long until we arrive?”

All eyes turned to the doorway, where Stark was standing, leaning heavily on Peter.

“Stark, you should stay in bed and recover,” Strange said, though he found it hard to look at the man’s accusing gaze.

Stark ignored him and continued further into the room, making a beeline for the controls as if the readings there made sense to him. Perhaps they did; he’d been able to figure out Maw’s ship pretty easily, after all.

“A few hours.” It was Rocket who answered, taking in Stark’s pale skin and the dark circles under his eyes. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”

“Not just yet, no. How fast are we going?”

“Stark…” Stephen began, but the man rounded on him with such fury that the rest of his words died on his throat.

Stark and Rocket began a discussion about physics and engineering that Stephen couldn’t hope to follow. After a while, Nebula joined in, and the three of them brainstormed ways to increase their speed.

Stephen wanted to tell them not to bother, as things would happen as they would one way or the other. Their course was set now, and the endgame was near. He had made his choice back on Titan, and he would have to live with it.

Instead, he left them to it and made his way to a more secluded part of the ship. He needed a few moments to himself – or he was going to lose his mind. What was left of it, anyway.

When he’d used the Time Stone to search for possible timelines, he had seen a lot, and he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to fully process everything he’d learned. Or to really come to grips with what had happened afterwards.

The future was impossible to predict; the Ancient One had taught him that – even if one possessed the Time Stone. What he had seen had been possibilities, and he could not actually be certain that any of it would come to pass. He had made a decision based on what seemed to be their best chance, and now he had to hope that it had been the right one.

With all he’d seen, one thing had been abundantly clear: they could not win without Stark. In every timeline where he died before the final confrontation with Thanos, the outcome had been the annihilation of half the universe in one snap of the Titan’s fingers. There didn’t seem to be any way of preventing Thanos from actually getting all the Stones, but he could be stopped after that – providing Stark was there to make the ultimate sacrifice. In essence, Stephen had saved his life in Titan only to doom him later – and he could not say that, for it might influence events in ways that would disrupt their victory.

No matter what, it would be a hollow one.

As a doctor, Stephen had sworn an oath to do no harm, and he had broken it. And this was done deliberately and consciously – not in the heat of battle while he was fighting for his life, like when he had caused the death of one of Kaecillious’s disciples. He had weighed in the pros and cons and had knowingly set in motion events that would ultimately end with Stark’s death. It didn’t matter that the universe would be saved from a mad man, it didn’t matter that Thanos would have probably killed Stark if Stephen hadn’t given him the Stone. It was still… a horrible thought to contemplate, that it had been _his_ decision, and his alone.

What was worse, perhaps, was that he knew Stark would not begrudge him the choice. The man would have made it himself if he had known what Stephen knew, if it had come to that – and it would. It didn’t make him feel any less guilty.

Stephen did not know Stark well. They had only met recently, and their interactions had been mostly professional, dealing with matters pertaining to the defense of the planet within the Global Defense Accords and the Earth’s Defense Squad. Of course he knew _of_ him – who didn’t? – and he might have met him at some fancy party or another many years before, though the encounter did not leave much of an impression on Stephen. At the time, he had been too self-absorbed to care overmuch about what other people were doing, even famous ones. From media reports, he had gathered that Stark was the poster boy for the rich white guy – arrogant, shallow, overtly concerned with sexual conquests, and lacking any regard for the wider world beyond what it could do for him.

And for all that, Stephen could not have been more wrong. (And, with a bit of self-awareness, he realized that, except for the sex part, such a description also fit himself pre-accident with disturbing accuracy. He had been a prick.)

In all the timelines he had seen through the Time Stone, there had been none of those traits – and in truth, there hadn’t been much of it since Stark had become Iron Man. On the contrary, Stark had always done his best to save everyone, often at the expense of himself, and despite occasionally fighting on multiple fronts. The man’s media image had either been wrong or he had changed considerably after his ordeal in Afghanistan. Stephen suspected it was a combination of the two things.

Because the Stone was not the easiest artifact to control, Stephen had seen plenty of alternative universes in which they had arrived at that point in time (the battle on Titan) in different ways, and not only futures from that point forward. In a many of them, the Avengers had not been completely disbanded, though they had split over a conflict between Rogers and Stark. In those cases, Earth had been utterly unprepared, and the death toll had been enormous. In some, that conflict had actually resulted in Rogers outright murdering Stark, which had doomed the universe. Stephen had never really cared much for the Avengers, so it had been quite a shock to see how utterly dysfunctional they had been in those other timelines – and that was knowing how they had ended up in prison in _their_ reality. It was different reading about it in the media and actually seeing it happen. All of that meant that their own timeline had started out much more promising than many of the others, because the work done by Stark in getting the Earth ready had progressed much further.

Viewing timelines, however, was not a simple matter. It was not like watching a movie, where one followed it from beginning to end. There were points in which the timelines diverged and points where they coalesced into the same future, and points where it was hard to see them clearly. He did not know all the details of what would happen from now on, he only knew where events were likely to lead them. Because of that, he could not tell anyone what he had seen, for fear of changing it. His own actions in the timelines were muddled and difficult to understand, which left him even more wary of causing a disruption.

It was a terrible burden to bear, but one that Stephen could not escape. He had, after all, accepted the position of Sorcerer Supreme. Still, he had not known then that he might have ended up with the fate of the universe on his hands.

“Strange.”

Stephen raised his head from his meditative pose to find Stark watching him.

“You really should be resting,” Strange told him. The doctor in him could not help assess his patient, and it was obvious that Stark was still in pain – not to mention the hole in his gut that would take time to fully heal (a time he was unlikely to have).

“I need you to tell me what you saw in those futures.”

“I can’t,” he replied.

“Why not?”

“Because if I do, it might not happen.”

For a while, Stark didn’t say anything, gingerly lowering himself to sit on the bed next to Strange. His expression was unreadable. “So, I have to assume that you saved my life back there because I’ll be needed later,” he finally said. Of course Stark would figure it out. The man was a genius, after all. “Because this is what it takes to make this the one that we win,” he continued. Though it wasn’t a question, the words still seemed to require a response.

“I hope so.” And dreaded it at the same time.

“And you really can’t tell me anything else?”

“I’m sorry.” For so many things, things Stark would never know – and plenty that he would no doubt figure out when the moment came.

Stephen had said, back in Maw’s ship, that he would not hesitate to let Stark die to protect the Stone, but he’d had no idea how difficult it would be to actually do it, to be responsible for someone’s death like that.

“I’m guessing not all of us are going to make it.” Stark’s gaze was far too knowing. He knew, Stephen was sure.

“I can’t tell you.” It was an evasion he they both knew it. Not saying it aloud would change nothing, but it allowed them the illusion that there was a still a chance for a happy ending for everyone.

The final confrontation had been impossible to see clearly. He honestly did not know how it was going to go. All he knew was that Stark would be the one to end it. He would wield the Gauntlet –though Stephen didn’t know how – and the power of it would burn him up from the inside. Stephen had no idea what would happen to anyone else. Once he had figured out that Stark was the key, he had concentrated on that.

“Okay. As long as we win… I guess it will be all right. Not great, but… well, I’m hoping most of the universe will be alive.”

There was nothing more that Stephen could say, so he looked away. He wasn’t sure the feeling in his gut was shame or remorse – or both. Either way, it was useless to worry about it anymore. The chips would fall where they did.

Stark settled into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes. As a doctor, Strange had seen a lot of people who had been confronted with their own mortality. There were those who cried in despair, those who trembled in fear, those who took what comfort they could from religion and faith, those who went into denial and those who accepted it as stoically as they could. Stark was the latter, which was no surprise. The man had faced death plenty of times before, after all – a superhero’s life was not exactly safe. And yet this was different. He was literally marching (or flying) to his death, and _knowing_ it. It wasn’t just a possibility, not just a risk they all took when they choose to act in the defense of others, but as close to a certainly as it was possible to have.

Stephen really had to admire the man’s courage. He could only hope he would show the same himself when his own time came.

After a few moments of quiet, Quill, Nebula and Rocket came into the ‘room’. Stark was instantly alert.

“We need a plan,” Nebula said.

“We had a plan. It was a good one, even.” Stark’s voice was even, but Quill flinched as if the man had shouted in his face.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay? I… I lost it.” He hung his head, clenching his fists again and again.

“Yeah, you fucked up, Quill,” Rocket said, apparently not interested in sparing the other man’s feelings. “But I don’t think it would have made any difference. I’m pretty sure he would have kicked our asses regardless. You know… again.”

Rocket was a difficult… being… to figure out, Stephen thought, starting with what he even was. A talking raccoon, for heaven’s sake. Was there a whole planet of those? It was… bizarre. But more importantly, Stephen didn’t understand what made him tick – not that he was great at reading people, or a talking raccoon, as it were. There were moments when it seemed like he wanted to run away and leave the universe to fend for itself – which Stephen could not really blame him for – and times when it was clear he cared for his friends at least, despite his acerbic behavior. The entire Guardians team was a mystery, actually. How had such a disparate group of people come together?

“Where is the Mind Stone?” Nebula asked. Stephen had learned that she was Gamora’s sister, a somewhat estranged one, so she had plenty of personal reasons to want Thanos dead.

“Earth. Vision’s head, to be exact,” Stark answered. At the others’ confused looks, Stark explained how the Stone had ended up on Earth in the first place, and then as part of Vision’s makeup. “The governments of Earth are already aware that Thanos is on his way, and our people have no doubt done their best to prepare for that. I’m not sure how much of it is going to be effective against the bastard, but we do have defenders ready to fight.”

“Our best plan is still to get the Gauntlet away from him,” Nebula said.

Stark nodded. “Yes, though he’ll probably be prepared for that now.” He turned to Quill. “Can we get a message to Earth from the ship?”

“Ah, I guess. If you have the frequency codes.” He looked at Rocket as if to check his answer. It seemed like Rocket was the tech expert of the group.

Rocket shrugged. “I don’t know anything about your planet. We can send messages, but I have no idea what kind of tech you have there to receive it.”

“Show me what you use and I’ll figure it out.” Stark stood a little unsteady. He took a deep breath, righted himself and followed Rocket and Nebula back to the pilot room. One would hardly know that he was badly injured from the way he had just taken control of things. If Stephen had had any doubts about why this man was the leader of the DS, they would be gone now.

Stephen eventually followed the rest of the group, intent on keeping an eye on Stark and getting him to rest after the message had been sent. He found the man sitting on the floor, part of his disassembled suit in front of him, effortlessly stripping cables and reconnecting wires under Rocket’s direction. Mantis and Peter were watching them in fascination, Drax was apparently taking a nap while Groot had returned to his videogame. Nebula had a pained look in her eyes, like she wasn’t sure where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do. Stephen had been a doctor long enough to recognize a person suffering from chronic pain – and grief over losing a loved one. He wished he knew what to say to her. To any of them.

“Is he always like that?” Quill asked, coming to stand next to Stephen. He jutted his chin in Stark’s direction.

“I guess. I don’t know him that well.”

They remained in silence for a while, until Quill broke it. “We’re going to win, right? You saw that. In… whatever you did with the Stone. We’re gonna beat the bastard, right?” There was a quiet desperation in his eyes that spoke of guilt.

“I don’t know,” Stephen replied honestly. “All we can do is keep fighting and do the best we can.”

Quill looked away, clenching his jaw. His momentary loss of control on Titan had cost them, but it was as Rocket had said – that outcome had been inevitable.

“It’s not over yet.” It was the best he could offer.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re gonna get the fucker.” The next part was whispered so quietly Stephen had to strain his ears to catch it. “For Gamora.”


	13. Chapter 12 - Infinity Gauntlet

**Earth**

Setting up the equipment and calibrating everything in order to get started on attempting to remove the Stone from Vision’s head had taken far more time than Bruce had anticipated, even with Scott’s capable help. There were just too many delicate components to consider, and rushing it really wasn’t advisable. Perhaps it would have gone more quickly if Tony had been here – the man’s ease and speed with his own tech was unparalleled – but they had to make do with just Bruce, Scott and the AIs. Bruce was trying really hard not to think about what might be going on with Tony, Strange and the Spider-Kid out there. They had to be okay.

The delay had cost them. Despite everyone’s best efforts, they had only been midway through the process when the damn aliens had descended on the Compound and the battle had begun.

Jarvis had alerted him when the ship had arrived and had given him a verbal report of how it was going, but Bruce had asked him to stop after a while, because it was making the tension in the lab rather unbearable. They couldn’t see what was going on, since the lab, being located underground for extra security, didn’t have any windows. Even through layers of concrete, however, they could still hear distant sounds.

Bruce was trying to ignore the noises coming from outside, tuning out whatever was going on with his friends out there. He had a task to do, and it was a very important one. He couldn’t afford any distractions now. They were running out of time.

Vision laid on the lab table, cables connected to his temples. They needed to finish reorganizing the synapses in order to attempt to remove the Mind Stone. The holographic projection showed that the process was only 63 percent complete. Bruce looked at Vision, then at the screen.

“Jarvis, show me the outside,” he said.

A screen immediately lit up and Bruce had to swallow hard to keep the Hulk contained. There were hundreds of aliens out there, and their defenses weren’t enough.

They weren’t going to make it.

“Doc, I don’t think we have enough time,” Scott said, having come to the same conclusion. Scott looked at the battle with wide – terrified – eyes. Perhaps actually seeing things had been a mistake. Scott had already been nervous about everything, and coming face to face with aliens hell-bent on killing them all was nerve-wrecking for even the most seasoned soldier – and neither Scott nor Bruce were in any way trained for that.

“Damn it, damn it,” Bruce muttered under his breath, willing the counter to rise faster. Even if they were able to remove the Stone, that was only the first step of the plan. There was still step two: attempting to destroy it.

“Bruce, there is not enough time to remove the Stone. You must attempt to destroy it as it is,” Vision said, as if he’d read Bruce’s mind.

Bruce recoiled. They had run plenty of simulations to determine if using the energy from the Arc Reactor would be able to destroy the Stone, and the results had been inconclusive at best. Doing it now would be a shot in the dark. And while they were only 50% sure it would have the desired outcome on the Stone, Bruce was 100% sure that it would kill Vision. “That will kill you,” he said, even though he knew that Vision was already aware of that. He had been there when they’d run the simulations, after all.

“We do not have a choice.”

Scott shook his head helplessly, but at a nod from Bruce he began inputting the codes to shut everything down. With shaking hands, Bruce started hastily disconnecting the equipment from Vision, making him grunt in pain.

“Sorry, sorry,” Bruce said, but he couldn’t afford to be gentle. They were out of time. Once the cables were out, Bruce and Scott helped Vision get up. “Are you all right?”

“I believe I am experiencing a headache,” Vision replied. His expression sure was one of pain. “We must move quickly.”

“Vision…”

He didn’t get the chance to finish the thought, because Loki was suddenly there. Bruce, Scott and Vision jumped in surprise.

Barely a moment later, an alien that looked a bit similar to the one Tony had fought days ago entered the room. His eyes locked on Vision and the Stone on his head and he smiled in satisfaction.

“The Mind Stone,” he said, and advanced.

“Go,” Loki told Vision, and threw a couple of daggers at the intruder. He was trying to buy then time to get away.

Vision looked at Bruce and Bruce shook his head. Their window for even trying to destroy the Stone was well and truly gone now. The only option left was to get Vision away from here.

“Scott, stay with him.”

They had had the foresight to have Scott wear the Ant-Man suit, just in case, so he shrunk down and disappeared. Vision cast one last look at Bruce and Loki, who was battling the alien, and phased out of the wall.

Bruce turned back to the alien. _Hulk smash?_ Hulk inquired in his head. _Yes_ , Bruce replied, and handed over the reins to his greener half.

*****

The transformation came much easier these days, now that Banner was more willing to let Hulk out. Within a moment, Hulk was charging at the alien who was attacking his friend. Between Hulk and Loki, the alien didn’t stand a chance. Loki enveloped the alien in green ropes long enough for Hulk to grab a hold of his leg and smash him into the floor repeatedly as hard as he could. It was the easiest way to subdue an opponent, Hulk had found. It worked every time. And it was fun.

Hulk grinned when he let go and the alien let out a pained groan. Loki picked up the big sword thing the alien had been holding and used it to chop the alien’s head off in one single stroke.

“Jarvis, where is Vision?” Loki asked.

“Outside. There is another ship approaching,” Jarvis said.

Loki took off running, Hulk right behind him. As they got to the hallway on the ground floor, they were able to see the ship through the window. It was much smaller than the one that had taken Tony away and to the one that was still out there. It landed next to the other one and from it emerged a big alien with purple skin and a shining glove in one hand.

“Thanos,” Loki breathed, his voice shaking with fear.

Inside Hulk’s mind, Banner trembled too. So this was the big bad alien, Hulk thought. He could take him.

Instead of coming down to the grounds to join the battle, though, Thanos went inside the other ship. Hulk looked at Loki in confusion.

“He must be getting the Tesseract,” Loki said.

In a moment, Thanos was back. He raised the hand with the golden glove and Hulk saw five colored stones in it, one in each knuckle – red, blue, green, purple and orange. In the back of the hand, there was an empty slot. That was where the Mind Stone was supposed to go, Hulk figured.

Loki gasped. “By the Norns, he has them all. He has the Time Stone. Norns, _Tony_ …”

Hulk shuddered as he understood. Strange had had the Time Stone. If Thanos had it, then he had taken it from the wizard – and Tony had been with him. Had Thanos killed Strange and Tony? No, he couldn’t have.

A wave of fury washed over him and Hulk roared.

“Hulk SMASH!” he roared.

He broke through the wall and jumped.

Ignoring all the puny pinkish aliens around, Hulk headed straight for Thanos. Hulk was going to make the alien pay for hurting his friends.

The last jump deposited Hulk right in front of Thanos. Without wasting any time, Hulk swung his fist, but his hand was caught by the alien. Hulk’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You are strong.” Thanos grinned. “But I am stronger.” He pulled on Hulk’s arm and twisted it, nearly wrenching it out of its socket.

Hulk let out a grunt and used his other hand to hit whatever body part he could reach, trying to free himself. Thanos let go and took a step back, that annoying smile still firmly in place.

“Care to try again?” the alien mocked.

Hulk launched himself at his enemy, feinting to the left only to veer right at the last minute. This time the punch landed, yet Hulk’s victory was short-lived. Before he could go for another pass, Thanos raised the hand with the glove and a massive crater opened up beneath Hulk’s feet, swallowing him up with a startled cry. By the time Hulk had dug his way out, Thanos was gone.

“Where did he go?” Hulk yelled.

Wong appeared at his side and signaled that Hulk should follow him. The wizard opened a portal and Hulk could see that Thanos had found Vision. Hulk ran through and tackled the big alien to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the big armor Tony had made to fight Hulk land nearby and he twisted himself to make sure Thanos would be in the armor’s line of fire.

The two missiles came within an inch of Thanos, but then they dissipated into shards of glass and hit Hulk instead. _What…?_ Hulk thought as he covered his head with his arms to protect his eyes.

 _The Reality Stone_ , Banner said inside their mind. _He can alter reality. Oh god…_

Though the shards weren’t enough to actually hurt Hulk, they served as a distraction and made him lose track of Thanos again.

As he looked around, he spotted a puny human surrounded by the alien soldiers. He had a gun and was shooting at the aliens as he scrambled back into an overturned tank. Hulk jumped there and quickly dispatched the aliens.

“Thanks,” the man said, breathing heavily.

Hulk nodded, righted the tank in case it was still working and was off again, searching for Thanos. The pink aliens were everywhere, though, and Hulk had to stop to take care of them and help the puny humans. Even those who had magic were getting tired and weren’t as fast as they needed to be in order to evade the swarm of aliens.

At least they were contained within the shield the wizards had made. Though some were throwing themselves at the barrier, scratching at it with their claws, so far it was holding. Hulk made a sweep at some of the places where the aliens were gathered to squash them, hoping to keep them contained for a while longer.

“Hulk, this way!” Rhodes shouted and Hulk took off after him.

They found Loki, Hela and Vision teaming up against Thanos. Loki was throwing green balls of magic at Thanos while Hela used the distraction to try to stab him with a long spear. Thanos dodged Loki’s attack only to get a repulsor blast to the face from Rhodes. He stumbled and Hela jumped in, aiming for his chest, but Thanos disappeared, and she crashed down, unbalanced.

“Where is he? Where did he go?” she asked as she got to her feet.

As suddenly as he was gone, Thanos was back – right behind her. He grabbed her by the arm and flung her off into the distance.

Hulk rushed at him and kicked him in the face. Unfortunately, once again, it seemed like Thanos barely felt it. The alien grinned and started punching back. Hulk was forced to defend himself. He stumbled and fell, but just as he did a repulsor shot hit Thanos in the chest. Then Loki appeared behind Thanos and thrust a dagger into his left eye.

Thanos roared in pain and the purple stone in the glove sent a wave of power that knocked Loki backwards. Then the green stone glowed and Thanos’s eye healed, as if the damage had never existed. He had reversed time.

“Silly creatures,” he said. “You cannot defeat me. Now, I grow tired of this game. Bring me the Mind Stone and I will spare you.”

In answer, Hulk attacked again, his movements growing more desperate by the second. The last time he had gone up against an opponent whose strength matched his had been in Harlem, with the Abomination. Even then, Hulk had managed to win with relative ease. The Abomination had been strong, but nothing else. Thanos, though… He wasn’t just strong. He was smart, and he had those damned Stones. All of Hulk’s strength was meaningless in the face of that.

Still, he kept going, because Hulk was not a coward, and he didn’t run from a fight, not even with the odds against him.

Also, he was not alone.

War Machine and the Hulkbuster armor landed and teamed up with Hulk.

“We have to keep him from using the Stones,” Rhodes said, firing specifically at the hand with the glove.

Loki, having gotten back on his feet, joined in the fray by making multiple copies of himself, all of them flinging green bursts of magic at Thanos. At the same time, Hulk and Hulkbuster continued their assault with fists and repulsor shots, respectively, not giving Thanos any breathing room.

For a while, Hulk dared to hope that they had managed to actually get the upper hand. His optimism didn’t last long, though. Thanos was able to close his fist and the purple stone glowed again, along with the red one. The Hulkbuster armor broke apart in hundreds of pieces and then each of them exploded.

Rhodes’s armor was caught in one of the explosions and his flight became erratic. He tried to right himself, but it was useless, the suit was too damaged – he crashed. Hulk’s heart leapt into his throat and he rushed to his friend’s aid.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Rhodes said as he climbed out of the armor. He was bleeding, though, and his expression was pinched in pain. “Go.” He waved off Hulk’s help and pointed back at Thanos.

Hulk turned and saw that Thanos had Loki pinned to the ground with one giant foot. Loki was also bleeding and singed from the blasts, struggling to dislodge the foot pressing him down.

With a jump, Hulk reached Thanos and tried for another kick, but this time luck wasn’t on his side. Thanos blocked him and pushed him back. The purple stone glowed once more and the next punch sent Hulk crashing back into a tree. Then Thanos was on him again, having covered the distance in a blink of an eye.

He knocked Hulk down and pressed his gloved hand on his throat.

“It’s time to end this,” Thanos hissed. The orange stone lit up and Hulk shrieked in agony.

It felt like he was being torn in two. He felt Banner coming to the fore, then retreating just as he was about to take over. It was like the transformation was broken somehow, and he was stuck in a weird limbo state in which he was neither Hulk nor Banner. And it was excruciating – like his soul was being pulled in two different directions.

Hulk/Banner could do nothing but scream.

*****

Bruce opened his eyes slowly, taking stock of himself. He ached all over. It was weird, because it had been years since he felt like this after a transformation, and even then it hadn’t been so bad. He reached out to the Hulk in his mind and all he got was a scared growl in response. The Hulk was not used to physical pain.

A pained yell made Bruce scramble to his feet and look around. The alien soldiers were still roaming everywhere, though they were giving Thanos a wide berth. He was too far away to see much more, so he started to run toward the direction the sound had come from.

It was Loki. Thanos had him hanging by the throat with the hand not wearing the glove. Loki’s face was beginning to turn purple as he strained unsuccessfully to free himself.

Bruce tried to transform back into the Hulk, but the other guy wasn’t having it. Damn it.

“Stop!” he yelled, well aware that there was absolutely nothing he could do here.

“Bring me the Mind Stone!” Thanos yelled, squeezing Loki harder.

Then an explosion went off right beneath Thanos, making him stumble and drop Loki, who looked to be hanging on to consciousness by sheer force of will. Scott grew to normal size and took Loki’s arm to lead him away.

“Fools,” Thanos said. “None of this will save you.” He raised his gauntlet hand and disappeared.

“Fuck,” Bruce breathed. “Loki.” Scott had turned Loki over and they could see the awful bruises on his throat. “Stay with him.”

Even knowing it was futile, Bruce had to find Thanos.

It didn’t take long. Thanos hadn’t gone far. He still needed one more Stone to complete the set.

And he’d found Vision.

Vision was fighting with all he had, but he was no match for the power of five Infinity Stones.

Thanos picked Vision up by the throat, lifting him to eye-level, and dug the fingers of his right hand into Vision’s forehead, digging out the Mind Stone. He pulled it loose, and Vision went limp, his color completely drained away. He was dead. Thanos tossed the lifeless android aside like trash as Bruce let out a gasp of terror.

 _Oh god no_.

Bringing his hand up, Thanis slowly moved the Mind Stone over the last empty setting in the Gauntlet and dropped it in. There was an energy surge that nearly blinded Bruce, even after he had closed his eyes. Thanos screamed until the light was completely gone.

Thanos grinned wide, studying the completed Gauntlet, all six Stones gleaming brightly.

“At last, the Infinity Gauntlet is mine. Now I can finally finish my mission.”

He raised his hand and laughed.

Bruce could do nothing but stare in horror.

They’d lost.


	14. Chapter 13 - Last Stand

**Space / Earth**

They were approaching Earth. Finally. The sight of his planet from space should have filled Tony with wonder and awe – after all, very few humans had ever seen the Earth from the outside, and satellite photos really didn’t do justice to the magnificent view in front of him. It certainly had Peter and Strange enthralled as they stood next to him. Right now, though, Tony’s mind was too occupied with thoughts of death and doom. This was their one and only chance to stop Thanos and save the universe. Their literal last stand. They _had_ to succeed. This had to be their one victory.

Tony was trying not to dwell on what it might take to win, since he was already drowning in enough dread to last him a lifetime – however short that was likely to be. As long as they defeated Thanos, it would be fine. It wasn’t like Tony didn’t know his days were numbered anyway. If he had to die, at least it would be for a worthwhile cause.

“Rocket, are you ready to transmit the message?” he asked, taking his eyes off the planet to look at the Guardians’ tech guy. Tony still thought the talking raccoon was a weird alien (and he wasn’t even gonna mention the ambulatory tree), but Rocket was easy to talk to, at least. They spoke the same tech language.

“Yep. Message sent. Let’s hope your tech down there can pick it up.” There was a note of skepticism in Rocket’s voice, which Tony ignored. Rocket was abrasive, but Tony recognized it as a defense mechanism and didn’t take offense.

They all waited impatiently for a reply. _Come on, guys_ , Tony thought.

“Sir?”

Tony exhaled sharply as he heard Jarvis’s voice. Damn, he’d missed his friend.

“Hey, J. It’s good to hear your voice.”

“Are you all right, Sir?”

“We’re fine, Jarvis. Me, Strange and Spidey. And we’ve got allies with us. We’re on a ship, and we’ll be entering the atmosphere in half an hour. Please let everyone know so we don’t get shot down. I’m transmitting our codes now.” He nodded to Rocket, who inputted the necessary commands. “How are things?”

“Not great, I’m afraid, Sir. We are under attack.”

Tony tensed, and so did everyone else. “Thanos?”

“Yes. We’re doing our best to keep him at bay and protect the Mind Stone.”

Fuck. Tony activated the suit and connected it to the ship’s computer. He had managed to recharge the nanites a bit, but the suit was still far from being at full power. He would need to get a new one or he wouldn’t last long in the upcoming confrontation. “Can you give us visuals?”

The faceplate closed up around his head and activated a holographic projection from what he immediately recognized as the grounds around the Compound.

It was absolute chaos. There were what seemed to be hundreds of gray-pinkish aliens swarming around the ground.

“Outriders,” Nebula told them. “An engineered race bred for combat. They have no thought except to kill and destroy everything in their path.”

Yep, they were certainly doing just that. Fuck. At least they seemed to be contained. Tony could see that the aliens were trying, unsuccessfully, to get through a shimmering golden shield. It looked like the work of Strange’s Order.

“How is everyone?” Tony asked. He thought he’d seen a familiar green light there somewhere.

“Fighting,” came the dry response. “Loki is back.” Thank god for Jarvis, who always knew what Tony needed. The tension in Tony’s shoulders loosened just a bit. “He brought Hela with him.”

“Wow, really?” He wasn’t aware Hela had been released from her confinement, but perhaps Thor had decided he could use another fighter on his side. She was supposed to be really good.

“I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear you have survived. We were worried,” Jarvis continued. Though the tone was light, Tony knew there was real fear underneath it.

“You all should know by now that I’m hard to kill.” He was hoping to continue that trend, though this one was going to be tough.

“Tones? Is that you?”

“Hey, Rhodey.”

“Damn it, Tony. You scared the shit out of us!” Rhodey sounded out of breath. “We could use your help down here. These things never end, man. We’re getting swamped. And that fucker Thanos is kicking our asses.”

“Hang in there, Sugarplum, the cavalry is on its way. Just take care of yourself until we get there, okay?”

Rhodey grunted in response and Jarvis cut the connection. Tony didn’t want to distract his friend at a critical moment.

“Tony?”

“Hey, babe. Did you miss me?” Tony tried for a playful tone, complete with a grin that Loki couldn’t see. God, it was good to hear those cultured tones. He had been really worried that something had happened to Loki in Asgard when Nebula had told them Thanos’s generals had managed to get their hands on the Tesseract. It was good to know his lover was still alive and kicking, and even better to actually hear him. Now all he had to do was survive long enough to see him again.

“Darling, you never cease to amaze me.” Like Rhodey, Loki’s voice was strained. No doubt he was in the middle of a battle.

“Just hang in there, okay? We’re coming.”

“Don’t take too long,” was the breathless reply.

Tony cut the feed going to Loki’s comm and turned to Rocket. “Can’t we go faster?”

“Let me see what I can do.” The raccoon started fiddling with the controls along with Quill. The human member of the Guardians had been pretty quiet since they’d left Titan, and though Tony didn’t know him well, he was willing to bet that was not his normal state of being. Losing Gamora had really hit him hard, as had their crushing defeat – and Quill’s own hand in it had to be taking its toll.

“Strange, can you portal us down?”

The sorcerer shook his head. “Not from here. We’re still too far.”

Damn. “Okay, let me know the second we’re close enough. Rocket, can you land by yourself?” Rocket gave him a ‘well duh’ look, then went back to what he was doing. “Groot, you stay with him, just in case.”

“I am Groot.” That seemed to be the extent of the tree’s ability to speak, yet he was able to convey a lot with just those three words. It was weird and fascinating, and if Tony wasn’t facing an end of the world scenario, he would be asking a whole lot of questions. As it was, they had more pressing concerns.

“Everybody else, get ready. This is our last shot. We’ve got to make it count.”

Eight heads nodded, determined expressions in everyone’s faces. Except from that first moment in Titan when they were still getting to know each other, no one had questioned Tony’s leadership. Even Quill, who was clearly used to being at least nominally in charge of this crazy bunch, had accepted that Tony knew what he was doing. It was a bit surprising, if he was being honest, but also somehow both flattering and terrifying. It was also a huge contrast to the old Avengers, and yet one more reason he was glad to be rid of them for good.

“Jarvis, keep us posted.”

“Will do, Sir.”

There was nothing else to do but wait, and it was driving Tony mad. He had to turn off the holo projection because it was causing everyone far too much anxiety. They were already on edge, seeing the outriders thrashing the Compound was just not good for their blood pressure. Not to mention Thanos and his almost complete Gauntlet.

Instead, they relied on Jarvis’s reports. Friday was busy manning the Compound’s defense systems now that the suit she had been piloting at the beginning of the fight had been essentially destroyed. Tony was really proud of her for that.

When Jarvis told them the Hulkbuster had been destroyed, Tony clenched his hands so hard he almost drew blood. Then the Hulk was down, and that was even worse. Tony had no idea it was possible to push the Hulk back down like that, not when Bruce was still clearly in danger. Plus, Hulk and Bruce had gotten to a much better understanding between them since their return from Sakaar, and they both had to agree that this was a situation that called for the Hulk’s specific talents. There was no way the Hulk had retreated voluntarily. What the hell had Thanos done to him? And, more importantly, was he all right?

Thanos seemed to be able to sense the Mind Stone somehow, Jarvis told them, because Vision couldn’t evade him no matter how hard he tried. By using the Space Stone, whenever Vision managed to get some distance, Thanos would just appear next to him, and it was all Vision could do to get away. He probably didn’t want to go very far anyway for fear of taking Thanos to a non-evacuated area.

Bottom line, Vision wasn’t going to be able to keep out of Thanos’s reach forever.

“Strange, are we in range?”

Starnge closed his eyes briefly, as if he could see the distance in his mind’s eye or something, and shook his head. “A little more.” The man looked like shit, Tony noticed. All of them did, really. They would either win and have the time to rest and recover, or it wouldn’t matter at all.

“Sir, some of the aliens have breached the perimeter!” Jarvis said in alarm. “There aren’t enough fighters to keep them contained anymore.”

“Shit.”

 _Damn, damn, damn_. If those things got loose it was going to be a bloodbath. There was no way a regular human would stand a chance against them.

“Oh my god,” Peter said, eyes frantic with worry.

Tony laid a hand on the kid’s arm for whatever comfort he could give. “Hang in there, kid. It’s gonna be okay.”

Despite the fact that they all knew that was just wishful thinking, it seemed to do the trick. Peter put his mask on and set his shoulders.

 _God, I hope nothing happens to him_ , Tony thought.

“We’re almost there,” Strange said, getting into position, hands splayed out in front of him.

“You need to stop the aliens before they reach a populated area,” Tony told him.

Strange nodded, then opened the portal. Finally. “Good luck.” It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but there was no more time.

They went through, weapons at the ready.

“Sir! Thanos has the Mind Stone!”

Fuck. The hud lit up with the coordinates and Tony diverted all power to the thrusters. He had to get there before Thanos used it. He lost track of everyone else, his entire focus on the Titan now. He had to trust his team knew what they were doing.

There was the bastard. Tony only had time to see Vision’s lifeless body on the ground before he slammed into Thanos at full speed and they both went rolling on the ground. Even the shock absorption on the suit wasn’t enough to keep Tony from being banged about. Then Thanos was back on his feet, one hand closing on the nearest body part he could reach, which was Tony’s left leg. He squeezed hard enough to dent the metal and fry the circuits on the boot.

Tony brought his hands up and blasted the other in the face, but the effect was minimal. It got Thanos to release him, yet it caused no actual damage. _Fuck fuck fuck_.

“You can never defeat me,” Thanos said, deranged grin firmly in place.

Just as Tony readied a shot, Thanos lunged. Tony dodged and tried to get away, but he couldn’t fly very well with the busted leg repulsor.

A green burst of magic distracted Thanos long enough for Tony to get some distance and recover at least a little. Thanos’s army was still roaming around, part of them escaping through a tear on the shield, and they were going to be overrun if this went on much longer. They had to end it now. And get the Gauntlet away from Thanos before he used the full power of the Stones to kill everyone.

Loki dashed around Thanos, magic and daggers flying from his hands, keeping the fucker off balance.

“You are no match for me, godling,” the Titan said as tossed a piece of… something… at Loki and finally regained his footing. He raised the hand with the Gauntlet but Loki teleported behind him and grabbed Thanos’s arm before he could close his fist. Loki’s skin turned blue, the air around him getting very cold. In seconds, the Gauntlet was covered with ice and frozen solid.

Tony launched himself into the fray again just as Thanos managed to wrap his other hand around Loki’s neck.

“Let go of him, you bastard,” Tony said, kicking the alien in the face as hard as he could.

Thanos released Loki and fell, taking Loki with him. Loki scrambled away, taking haggard breaths, while Tony keep up his assault, cursing that he didn’t have enough energy for the unibeam.

“Enough!” Thanos shouted. He put his hands together and brought them to the ground hard, shattering the ice around the Gauntlet and making Tony stumble backwards.

Loki jumped on Thanos again, but Tony could see his lover was as exhausted as Tony was, and his strength was waning. There were purple finger marks around his neck. _I’m gonna kill this fucking alien_ , Tony thought.

They were running out of time. Thanos was toying with them, and at any moment he was going to decide he was done playing and actually use the Gauntlet. Then they’d be completely screwed. And there was still the hundreds of aliens swarming the grounds.

The moment seemed to stretch forever. Tony looked at the gleaming Stones and a desperate plan formed in his mind. He had to get those Stones away from Thanos.

He diverted what power he still had to his one remaining boot and aimed for Thanos’s hand. His flight was erratic, but he made it to the target, wrapping his arms around the Gauntlet. Thanos grunted and used his other hand to pry Tony off and toss him away.

“You are all wasting your time. You have fought bravely, that is true, but it is no use. I am inevitable.”

Tony raised his head and grinned. He lifted his left hand, the Stones now embedded on his glove. “And I… am Iron Man.”

Thanos screamed in rage. Tony closed his fist and opened himself up to the power of the Stones.

It felt like a maelstrom in his mind, like a thousand voices speaking at once. The battlefield fell away and all Tony could see was swirling lights and unidentifiable shapes. Galaxies near and far stretched out in front of him, planets and people and all types of life. He could see every aspect of creation, every little thing that made up the universe. It was beautiful. It was… overwhelming. He didn’t know where he ended and the rest of the universe began. He didn’t know who he was, where he was, what he was supposed to do. It was all the same, all cosmic splendor and wonder, infinite light and darkness. And he could be one with all that – shatter away and became a part of the universe forever. Yes, that was… that would be good.

The Stones seemed to whisper to him, beckoning him to surrender, to embrace their power and allow it to consume him. He could do anything, be anything… if he just surrendered.

“NO! Come back! Come back to me!”

The voice was familiar, but he could no longer remember who it was. He couldn’t remember who _he_ was. The universe was calling…

“Tony! Tony, listen to me! Don’t let go. Come back. Listen to me.”

Tony… Yes, that was his name. Tony Stark. He was… He was Iron Man.

“Tony!”

Loki. That was Loki. Tony knew that voice. He loved that voice and the man it belonged to.

With an effort, Tony refocused. He blinked, and he could see reality again. Loki was clutching his arm, eyes wide with fear. Across from them, Thanos was running towards them, expression twisted into a furious snarl.

Tony remembered what he had to do.

 _Go away_ , he thought. _Take your army and disappear forever_. The Stones flared up as they answered his command. _Bring back the people he killed. Gamora. Vision. Restore Xandar_.

He snapped his fingers, and it was done.

Between one step and the next, Thanos crumbled into dust. His ships and all the aliens did the same. In a corner of his mind, he could feel an entire planet being reshaped, back to what it had been before Thanos had arrived. He saw Vision open his eyes in shock, the hole where the Mind Stone had been pried out of him closing up as if it had never existed. He saw a green-skinned woman reform from atoms at the edge of the battle field, gasping back to life with a muffled scream.

The whole universe was his to command, to mold it into whatever he wanted. It was all right there at his fingertips…

“Tony. Tony, you’ve got to let go, love. It’s going to burn you up. You’ve done enough. We’ve won. Let go. Please let go.”

Tony turned his head, looking into Loki’s tear-filled, terrified eyes, and frowned. Let go…? Why? He could do so much. He could make everything better…

“Darling, please. I don’t want to lose you.”

A small pained sound made Tony look down to where Loki’s hand was grasping the exposed part of his arm. There was a dark patch on his arm, and it was slowly travelling upwards into Loki’s hand.

“Let go, love, and come back to me.”

Yes, Tony wanted to come back. He wanted to go on living his life with Loki by his side. He didn’t want to control the universe – he’d probably fuck it up, and after they’d just gone to this whole trouble to save it…

His eyes locked on his lover’s and Tony smiled.

He let go.

 _Go back to hiding_ , he told the Stones. _No one should have this much power_.

The Stones obeyed, and one by one they disappeared from the glove to scatter to the corners of the universe, where they would remain, hopefully for a long time to come.

It was over. Finally. It was over.

They’d won.

“I love you,” Tony told Loki, then everything went dark.


	15. Chapter 14 - Freedom at last

**Earth**

Nebula was slashing Outriders with wild abandon, glad to have something to take her anger out on, when they just… disappeared… right before her eyes. One moment they were there, ugly repulsive creatures that they were, and the next they had turned to dust. It was… jarring.

Had Thanos succeeded?

Fear made her freeze in place for a moment. It couldn’t be.

But no one else had disappeared. Nebula could see Drax and Quill, looking as surprised as she was. Further off, Rocket and Groot had also stopped and were glancing around in confusion.

The battle was over. All their enemies were gone. Just like that.

How had that happened?

“Where did they go?” Drax asked.

No one had an answer.

The young human with the weird thin armor landed next to her and took off his mask.

“What happened? Did we win?”

“I think we did,” Quill answered, though he sounded unsure.

The Guardians had been fighting more or less in the same area to contain the Outriders who had escaped the force field, so they – plus the kid – quickly assembled and started walking in the direction of the building.

They didn’t make it that far. There was a commotion on the south side, everyone gathered around… something Nebula couldn’t see. They hurried over.

It was Stark. He was unconscious, his armor now almost completely gone, his left hand and arm blackened to the shoulder, lying on the ground and half supported by a man with dark hair. Standing near them was a dark-skinned man who looked on the verge of tears and an unassuming man trembling slightly. A being that was obviously not human was also nearby, one hand rubbing at his forehead with a lost expression on his face.

“Mr Stark!” The boy cried, and rushed over. There were tears in his eyes.

Nebula lowered her head in a sight of respect. Stark had been brave. Beside her, the Guardians did the same.

“Tony, come on!” The man holding him said, eyes misty. “Wake up, darling. Please.”

Strange and another man dressed similarly – but without the weird cape – suddenly appeared through a portal.

“Strange!” The dark-skinned man shouted. “Tony needs a doctor!”

Strange came closer and knelt by Stark’s side. His trembling hand went to the human’s neck to search for a pulse, but judging by his defeated expression, he didn’t expect to find one.

Then his eyes widened. “He’s alive! We need to get him inside. Now!”

The man who had come with him summoned a portal and Stark’s lover stood, carrying him through it to what looked like a medical facility. The humans all followed them, leaving the Guardians with the strange creature.

“Hmm, hi. I’m Mantis,” the girl said timidly, then introduced the rest of the group.

“I am Vision.”

“Hey, you’re the one with the Mind Stone!” Quill exclaimed. But there was no Stone on his head.

Of course not. Thanos had gotten that, hadn’t he?

Vision raised a hand to his forehead again. “Yes. I… I used to have it. It’s… It’s gone now. Thanos took it. And then… then I died.”

“What?” Rocket asked. “You look pretty alive to me.”

“Yes, I… I do not understand what happened. I was… I was dead. And now I’m not.”

They could do nothing but stare. How did that happen?

“Nebula?”

The voice made them all turn. Standing there, looking confused but very much alive, was her sister.

“Gamora!” Quill shouted, and ran towards her, picking her up and spinning her around, a huge smile on his face.

It couldn’t be. _Gamora_. By all the stars…

Quill and Gamora shared a passionate kiss. Drax and Rocket tried to appear detached – though they were both grinning widely – while Groot and Mantis did some sort of ridiculous dance around the couple, clearly happy to have Gamora back.

But _how_?

At last Gamora disengaged from her friends and approached Nebula, who was still rooted to the spot, afraid to believe what her eyes were telling her.

“Gamora?” she asked, voice shaky and small.

Her sister nodded, and reached over to take Nebula’s flesh hand. “Are you all right, sister?”

“I thought… he said…” The words refused to come, her thoughts all jumbled together.

“I don’t know what happened.” Her hand still clutching Nebula’s, Gamora turned to address the whole group. “We went to Vormir. There was… a ghost… or something… there. It said that in order to get the Soul Stone, Thanos had to sacrifice something he loved. I thought it was a good thing, because that would mean Thanos could never get his hands on it. But…” Her eyes closed for a moment and then her voice got quieter. “He pushed me over the edge, and… As I fell… I saw… I knew he would get the Stone after all.”

Nebula didn’t know what to say to that. A few years ago, she might have been jealous that Gamora had Thanos’s love while Nebula herself only had contempt and disappointment. Now she didn’t think that was such a good thing anymore. She had seen real love within Gamora’s Guardian friends – and their new human allies –, and whatever Thanos thought he felt, it was nothing like it. He had, after all, actually killed Gamora in order to get what he wanted. Back in Titan, Mantis had said Thanos mourned Gamora, but Nebula couldn’t believe the feeling was genuine. He had murdered Gamora for his own sick delusions; how could that be love? Nebula might not be an expert on the subject, but even she knew that wasn’t how love was supposed to go.

“And then I woke up here,” Gamora finished, then looked around with a frown. “Where are we? Where is Thanos?”

“This is Earth,” Quill said. “My planet. We came here on our ship with some other humans who were also fighting Thanos. I guess… Stark killed Thanos? I mean, I didn’t see it, but all of a sudden all those creepy Outriders disappeared and…” He shrugged. “That’s the only explanation.”

Gamora looked at Vision in awe.

“No, that’s Vision,” Rocket said, since it seemed that Gamora was getting the wrong idea. “He came back from the dead too. We’re not sure how.”

“You should all come inside. We will speak to the others, get some answers,” Vision said.

They continued into the building. Gamora hadn’t let go, and neither had Nebula. They walked through the partially destroyed structure until they found a crowd gathered in what seemed to have been a training room. There were people in uniforms – this world’s military force, Nebula was willing to bet – and several others in clothes similar to Strange’s. Both groups looked rather shell shocked, as if they couldn’t quite believe they had survived. Nebula knew the feeling. She was still waiting to wake up back in the cell, her body stretched out and unable to move, trapped in an unending nightmare.

Somehow, though, she was still here. That meant this had to be real, right?

There didn’t seem to be anyone in charge, and most of them jumped when they noticed Nebula and her companions. Some even reached for their weapons, but Vision stepped forward.

“These people are our allies,” he said. “They came to help us, and are now our guests.”

Though there were still a few suspicious glances from the guys in uniform, they accepted Vision’s words easily enough. Nebula allowed herself to relax a bit. She really didn’t want to fight anymore. In fact, now that the battle seemed to be over, she found she was exhausted – and she wasn’t the only one.

“Mr Wong and Ms van Dyne are on their way,” the same voice who had spoken to them on the ship said, making everyone in the room startle. Now that she was paying attention, the voice sounded like Vision. That made sense. Hadn’t Stark said that Vision and Jarvis were both artificial constructs? She was too tired to remember.

The people that entered the room were one of Strange’s people – the one who had opened the portal carrying Stark – and a woman dressed in an odd sort of armor. Wong went to speak to the uniformed humans while the woman approached the ‘outsiders’.

“Hi. I’m Hope van Dyne,” she told them with a tired smile. Her gaze lingered on Rocket and Groot in particular – they ones least similar to humans – before she shook herself. “Strange asked me to speak to you. He’s a bit busy now, but he’ll come talk to you as soon as he can. In the meantime, I can arrange accommodations for you.”

“Thanks.” Quill said. “How’s Stark?”

The woman sighed. “He’s alive. The doctors are treating him now, along with Strange and Loki, but that’s all I know.” She made a gesture to indicate they should follow her. “I’m afraid the place is a little banged up, but Jarvis told me the living quarters are habitable. I hope you don’t mind sharing, though, because we don’t have enough room for everyone.”

“That’s fine,” Gamora replied.

“I am Groot?”

van Dyne turned to Groot in confusion.

It was Rocket who answered. “No, no more videogames for you.”

“I am Groot.”

“I don’t care if you helped save the universe, the answer is still no.”

Groot pouted, and Mantis put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure there are many other interesting things to do on this planet.”

“Yeah,” Quill chimed in. “There’s television. And music. And… I don’t know… Disneyland?”

Quill had just finished providing them a list of entertainment options Earth offered, when they arrived at their destination. van Dyne showed them two adjoining rooms and told them to talk to Jarvis if they needed anything.

“Welcome to Earth,” she said, then she was gone.

Drax, Rocket, Groot and Mantis set about exploring the rooms immediately, shouting excitedly over every little thing. Quill, Gamora and Nebula stayed behind, though no one spoke.

“Quill, can you give Nebula and I a moment?” Gamora asked. He looked from one sister to the other and nodded. Gamora let go of Nebula just long enough to put her arms around the human and kiss him again, then pulled her into the other room.

The last time Nebula had been alone with her sister was right before Thanos had taken Gamora to Vormir. To her death. Nebula clenched her fists against the painful memories.

“Nebula, I…” Gamora trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Nebula had no idea what to say either. She wasn’t even sure how she felt. There was the relief of seeing her sister alive and well again after thinking her lost forever. There was the weariness from the battle and everything else that had happened since her failed attempt to kill Thanos. And Thanos…

Thanos was dead. She had not seen it with her own eyes, but she knew it was true. After all those years, all the pain and torture she had endured… It was finally over. Thanos was _dead_. She was free. Her life would finally be her own. Her entire live had been spent under Thanos’s shadow. Now she’d have to find out who she was without him. And she was terrified.

Something of her inner turmoil must have been visible to her sister, because Gamora came closer and embraced her.

“It’s over,” Gamora murmured. “He’s gone. We’re… We’re free.”

Gamora hugged her tighter, and Nebula found herself doing the same. They both had tears running down their faces – Nebula didn’t even know she could still cry – in shared relief and uncertainty.

“I’m sorry.”

Nebula wasn’t sure who had spoken. It could have been either one of them. They both had a lot to be sorry for and things to apologize to each other for. It wasn’t important now, though. Nothing mattered except for the fact that they were both alive. They had the rest of their lives to figure it out. It was scary, but they weren’t alone. At least, Nebula hoped she wouldn’t be.

After an undetermined amount of time, they let go of each other and stepped back a bit. Nebula felt awkward and out of her depth. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come. So they sat by side on one of the beds and just breathed in silence. Little by little, the tension left their bodies and they slumped a bit, their shoulders brushing together.

“I thought we were all going to die,” Nebula finally said.

Gamora nodded. “Me too.” She chuckled. “I _did_ die. I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“I thought he was invincible,” Nebula continued, the words tumbling out now. “In Titan he had all but two of the Stones, and we… The only reason we survived was because he couldn’t be bothered to actually kill us. Because he thought we were beneath him.” Her voice got lower. “I thought so too. All those years… Everything I did… Everything we did… Everything we witnessed of what he did to those who went against him… I thought about… just giving up.” It shamed her to say so, but she had already acknowledged to herself she had been terrified out of her mind. “But the humans… Stark and Strange… They just… carried on. Picked themselves up and got ready to go again.” Nebula couldn’t help admire them. Fragile little humans – Stark’s armor nearly destroyed – still fighting with all they had. “I want to know how he did it, how Stark killed him.” If he survived. Nebula hadn’t prayed in a long time – not when all of her desperate prayers had gone unanswered and no respite had ever come for her – yet she did now. She prayed for his recovery, this human she barely knew who had somehow put an end to her worst nightmare. The universe’s worst nightmare.

“He sounds like an amazing guy,” Gamora said.

Nebula shrugged. “He’s strong and determined. And he knows his way around tech.” She had seen him eying her cybernetic parts with more curiosity than pity. “That’s all I know.”

The silence descended again. This time it was Gamora who broke it.

“You can come with us, you know. After. There’s room for you.”

For a while Nebula said nothing, remembering her thoughts back in her cell in Thanos’s ship. She had wished for another chance to accept that invitation, and now, miraculously, it was here.

Not trusting herself to speak, Nebula just nodded.

Maybe it was going to be all right.

*****

She ended up sharing a room with Mantis, Drax and Rocket, while Gamora and Quill took the other one with Groot. Exhausted as she was, Nebula was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow – after getting clean of Outriders’ blood and guts, of course. For once there were no nightmares to plague her, and even being in a room with relative strangers didn’t disturb her.

When she finally woke, she actually felt rested.

Gamora and Mantis were already up, speaking quietly. It seemed that Mantis was filling Gamora in on everything that had happened with a bit more detail.

Nebula left them to it and exited the room for a bit of air. “Jarvis?” she asked, feeling a little silly for talking to the ceiling.

“Yes, Ms Nebula? How can I help you?”

“Do you have any news on Stark?”

“Sir has regained consciousness and is now sleeping, but, knowing him, he will be up and about soon.” Nebula nodded. Another weight off her shoulder. For once her prayers were answered. “Most of the others are gathering in Conference Room 3 for a debriefing, if you and your team would like to join them.”

Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

Nebula returned to the room to tell Gamora and Mantis, and they got the guys up and ready. Quill smiled dopily when he saw Gamora, which got him teased by everyone else, though Nebula noted that all of them looked at Gamora with pleased expressions. Somehow, they had all survived.

Imagine that.

The Conference Room they were directed to had clearly seen better days. There were debris pushed to one side and a few of the chairs seemed a bit wobbly. There was also food and drinks laid out in a side table, which the Guardians made a beeline for. Nebula followed a bit more sedately, though she was starving. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d eaten.

The humans present eyed them cautiously, but no one stopped them or was in any way hostile. The woman who had spoken to them yesterday waved and continued her conversation with the man at her side. Aside from her and Vision, Nebula didn’t know anyone; Stark, Strange and the boy weren’t there. Nebula took note of the people out of habit, yet she was strangely unafraid.

Quill was trying to tell them what the food items were, but he couldn’t actually name them all. It didn’t matter. Drax and Rocket were stuffing themselves on everything – and so was Quill, whether he knew what it was or not. Mantis and Gamora were more wary, examining things before deciding what to eat. Groot was watching everyone with a bored expression, occasionally pointing at something he thought was interesting. Nebula chose some kind of red fruit and bit into it. It wasn’t terrible, so she took a couple more, along with some water.

After a while, the dark-skinned human took a seat, and the others did the same. Gamora led the Guardians and Nebula, who took the other side of the table.

“So, I guess we haven’t been properly introduced,” the man said. “I’m Colonel James Rhodes. I believe you’ve already met Vision and Hope.” The ones in question acknowledged the Guardians with a nod and a smile, respectively. “This is Dr Bruce Banner” (the unassuming guy), “Scott Lang” (the one van Dyne had been talking to), “Wong” (the one with the portals), “and Hela, from Asgard.” Nebula hadn’t seen the woman before. She looked dangerous and out of place – not unlike Nebula herself.

“Where’s Peter and Strange?” Rocket asked.

“Strange is still resting, I think, and Peter went home last night. His aunt was really worried about him,” Rhodes answered.

Rocket chuckled. “Ah. Got himself in trouble for sneaking away on an alien ship, did he?”

Rhodes smiled. “Something like that, yeah.”

Quill made the introductions for their group, then they started. Hela gave them an account of what had happened in Asgard while Rhodes told them about Maw and Obsidian’s first attempt to get the Stones on Earth.

“Stark told us he tossed Maw out of his ship before they got to Thanos,” Quill said. “What happened to the rest of the Black Order?”

“I killed the woman,” Hela said. “She got away from me in Asgard, but I didn’t miss the second time.” Her smiled was savage. Nebula heartily approved. She had despised all the members of the Black Order.

“Loki killed Corvus Glaive in the lab,” Banner added. “Cull Obsidian was destroyed along with Thanos and the rest of his soldiers.”

So they were all gone. Good riddance.

Quill then talked about their first run in with Thanos in Knowhere, and how he had taken Gamora. Gamora completed the tale of how Thanos had gotten her to tell him the location of the Soul Stone, and what he did to get it. There were a few pitying looks at the sisters from the humans, but Nebula ignored them.

Rocket and Quill took up the story with how they had met the humans on Titan, the battle there – which had ended with Thanos getting the Time Stone – and their return to Earth.

Banner continued with the Order’s second incursion, Thanos’s arrival and how he had killed Vision to get the Mind Stone.

“I thought that would be the end,” the human said. “Then Tony was suddenly there. I didn’t see what happened after that.”

“We fought, I got the Stones and used them to get rid of Thanos and his army, and resurrected a couple of people while I was at it. Actually, I think I fixed Xandar too. It’s a bit blurry now, to tell you the truth.”

Everyone had turned when Stark had started speaking. He was still pale, leaning heavily on his lover. His left arm was bandaged, but Nebula could still see how the skin seemed blackened underneath. Strange hovered on his other side, hands shaking a little, as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

“Tony!” Rhodes exclaimed, getting up to help guide the man into a chair. “You should be resting.”

“You know me, Platypus. Can’t keep me down for long.” Despite his injuries – and Nebula noticed how he flinched in pain before settling into his seat – and tired air, his eyes were clear and bright. He was also grinning like there was nothing wrong in the world. “Oh, and by the way, this is Loki. Loki, say hello to my new alien friends.” He made quick introductions and Loki nodded in acknowledgment.

“We’re glad you’re okay, Tony,” Banner said, and everyone – including the Guardians and Nebula – nodded.

Stark acknowledged their relief, then turned to Vision with a soft smile. “Hey, Viz. How are you feeling?”

“I’m… good. It’s a little different, not having the Stone.” He touched his smooth forehead. “But I feel like myself.”

“Good.” Next Stark turned his attention to the Guardians’ side of the table. “You must be Gamora,” he said. “We heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you.”

“I understand I have you to thank for being back among the living. So, thank you.”

“Also, thanks for killing that fucker Thanos,” Quill added, to which all the Guardians plus Nebula added their agreement. Drax grumbled something about how he hadn’t gotten to kill the Titan himself after all, but everyone ignored it. Nebula didn’t care who had done the deed, only that it was done.

“And what was that about Xandar?” Rocket asked.

Stark shrugged. “You said Thanos destroyed it, so… I guess I put it back the way it was?” The last was a question rather than a statement, and Nebula wondered how the man was still alive if he had really wielded the completed Infinity Gauntlet.

Even Rocket was impressed. “Wow.”

“What about the Stones? What happened to them?” It was Gamora who spoke, sharing a quick look with Nebula. They all knew how dangerous those things were, and the last thing they needed was someone else trying to get them all together.

“I told them to go back into hiding, so… I have no idea where they ended up. It’s better that way.”

Everyone nodded at that.

“So, uhm, now what?” Lang said into the silence.

“Well, life goes on, I guess,” Stark replied. “Crisis averted, world saved and all that. Until the next time. You guys are welcomed to stay for a while, if you want,” he told the Guardians. “We’d like to talk to you about what else is out there, actually. We’re kinda new to the whole ‘aliens are real’ thing, and could use a bit more information.”

“Yeah, sure,” Quill replied, an excited gleam in his eyes.

“You’ll need an escort, though. ‘Cause people might freak out if they saw aliens walking around. Not that you aren’t cool, but, you know… Humans aren’t used to that.”

“I could do it.” Lang raised his hand. “I’ve always wanted to hang out with real aliens.” He looked like an excited kid. Nebula figured he’d fit right in with the rest of the Guardians.

The meeting continued for a while longer as the humans discussed plans to rebuild their base and make a public announcement about what had happened to the general population. Nebula tuned most of it out, lost in her own thoughts.

She didn’t miss how the Guardians were all talking and teasing each other with the ease of familiarity. Despite Gamora’s invitation, would Nebula really be able to become a part of the group? The humans also seemed like they were good friends, and they were all laughing by the time the debriefing was over. Only Hela was keeping her distance, though there was a hungry look in her eyes that Nebula recognized. The other woman was alone too, an outsider who didn’t really know anybody.

After some hesitation, Nebula approached her.

“Where are you from?” the other asked. “I’m not very familiar with races outside the Nine Realms.”

“My home planet is long gone,” Nebula replied. The pain was an old one, it barely registered anymore. “It was destroyed by Thanos.”

“Ah,” was all she said. Hela was as awkward with conversation as Nebula, it seemed.

“I’ve heard of Asgard,” Nebula said into the silence. Mostly from Thanos, though, so it had not been much.

“I was to be queen, but…” she trailed off. “I’m not sure I want that anymore. From what Thor says, ruling seems boring. Not like I used to imagine it.”

Nebula had no idea what to say to that. Fortunately, she didn’t need to think of anything because Stark and Loki came by.

“Hey, Nebs,” Stark said, and Nebula was taken aback by the smile on the man’s face – and his form of address. People were rarely pleased to be in her presence. “And Hela, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” His greeting to the other woman was more reserved, which increased the bizarre levels of the situation.

Hela inclined her head. “You are the one Thor and Loki told me about.” Her eyes flickered from Stark to Loki, who were leaning much closer together than was normal. Nebula couldn’t tell whether Hela disapproved of the relationship or was simply cautious about someone she didn’t know.

“Darling, I need to speak to Hela for a moment,” Loki told Stark.

“Sure. I wanted to talk to Nebula anyway.”

Loki took Hela’s arm and they went a little further away for privacy.

“How are you?” Stark asked.

“I am not the one who battled Thanos and wielded the Infinity Gauntlet.” She inclined her had to his injured arm.

“Ah, I’ve had worse,” he said dismissively. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

He sounded genuinely concerned, and Nebula had no idea what to do with that. She wasn’t used to people caring about her. She shrugged, wincing slightly as pain flared up in the joints in her shoulder.

Stark’s sharp eyes caught the movement. “I can take a look at that, if you want. I’m known for fixing things.”

Nebula didn’t think fixing her would be that simple. There was far too much wrong with her; the cybernetic parts were only a small portion of it. Still, now that she was finally free of Thanos, she might be able to work on those other things. She had her sister and the Guardians. Maybe even a few… friends?… here on Earth.

For the first time in a long time, she had hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone else having a problem with delayed emails from the Archive? I'm getting comment and subscription notifications with a 6-10 hour delay...  
> ETA: Problem seems to be fixed now. Yay! :)


	16. Chapter 15 - All's well

**Earth**

Waking up was… surprising. Tony had been pretty sure he was going to bite it after that stunt with the Infinity Gauntlet. Hadn’t Quill said that using only _one_ Stone had almost killed him, even though he had half-god blood or something? There was no way Tony could have survived that.

And yet… Here he was, lying in a bed at the Compound’s infirmary, very much alive.

It was… baffling.

Not that he was complaining, of course, because he most certainly wasn’t. Being alive was a _very_ good thing. Even better because he had Loki resting beside him, both of them squished together in the narrow bed.

What wasn’t so great was the pain on his left arm, from the shoulder down to each individual finger, but, well, it was a small price to pay for being alive.

Tony shifted a bit, thinking that a trip to the bathroom was going to become a necessity pretty soon, and wondered where everyone else had gone.

“Jarvis? Friday? Are you guys there?” he whispered, not wanting to wake Loki, who had looked quite exhausted at the end of the fight. And he’d probably stayed up until Tony had gotten treated and settled.

“How can I help you, Sir?”

“We’re here, Boss. And I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Tony smiled in the direction of the cameras. “Thanks, guys. Is everything all right? We won, right? The bad guys are all gone?”

“They are, Sir. All the Outriders turned to dust, plus the Black Order’s ships and corpses, as well as Thanos himself. The universe is safe.”

“You did it,” Loki said, blinking his eyes open. “You got rid of them all.” He sat up and looked at Tony with awe-filled eyes. “You were magnificent.”

Though Tony was used to being praised, it always made him melt a bit inside when it was Loki who did it. An alien being nearly a thousand years old who had seen more than Tony could possibly imagine thought Tony was cool. It was quite the ego trip.

“Thanks, babe. You were pretty kick-ass yourself.” He was. Loki going all powerful god was a sight to behold, and Tony loved it. He loved everything about Loki, actually.

“I love you.”

This time Tony wasn’t going to waste his chance. “I love you too.”

The kiss started gentle, but it quickly got more passionate. Tony was really getting into it, and moved to get a better angle – which was obviously a bad idea. Pain flared up and down his injured arm and Tony hissed, breaking the kiss with a muffled curse.

“I’m sorry, darling. Did I hurt you?” Loki asked, looking at him in concern.

“No, it’s all right. Sorry.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for. How does your arm feel?” He made as if to touch it, then thought better of it.

“Hurts a bit, but it’s all right.”

Loki lowered his head. “We tried to heal it, but… it didn’t work very well. I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” Tony said, using his right hand to take a hold of one of Loki’s. “You did what you could. I knew there would be consequences to using the damn Stones. Besides, we know a lot of really smart people. I’m sure if there’s a way to make this better, we’ll figure it out. I’m not giving up.”

His words had the desired effect of making Loki smile. “I will consult with Lady Eir. She might know something.”

“Oooh, does that mean I finally get to go to Viking land?” Tony gave Loki his best excitable grin, which Loki answered easily.

“You probably won’t like it that much.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I can lord it over those stuffy councilmen that a lowly human saved the universe while they were twirling their thumbs. I’m sure they’ll love that. I know I will.”

Loki laughed and kissed him again, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Oh, darling, I can’t wait. We’ll tell Thor to make a huge feast in your honor.”

“All I’ll tell them how you saved me there at the end, and what an awesome person you are. Thor’s friends will eat their hearts out with envy.” Oh, it was going to be _fun_.

Loki, however, sobered up.

Tony’s expression immediately turned to one of concern. “What’s wrong? Shit, I never asked. Is Thor okay? What happened there?”

“Thor is fine. The invaders had all been dealt with by the time I left, but Hogun died.” There was regret and grief in Loki’s voice. Even if he hadn’t liked the guy, he’d still known him for a really long time.

“I’m sorry.”

They lapsed into silence, thinking of loss. Tony remembered seeing Vision’s lifeless form discarded like trash – and he remembered wanting him back. Shit, had he really done that?

“Is Vision alive?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Fuck.” Tony tried to remember what he’d done while he’d had the Stones. His memories were hazy now, as if that part was a dream he’d had. There had been someone else who’d been killed, hadn’t there? Gamora. Quill had lost his shit on Titan because of her. Tony had brought her back too, he thought. And… a planet? Shit. He hoped he hadn’t caused a huge ecological catastrophe with that.

“Darling?”

Loki’s voice brought Tony back and he blinked, pushing the thoughts away. What was done was done, and Tony wanted to believe he’d made things better. He could deal with it later. It wasn’t like he had any way to check right now.

“Nothing, just thinking.”

There was a noise from the door, and there was Strange, looking like something the cat had dragged in.

“Can I come in?” he asked, more timid than Tony had even seen him.

“Yeah, sure. You look like shit.”

That got a huff in response. “You’re not exactly a picture of health either.”

The Cloak detached itself from Strange and came over to give Tony’s good arm a pat with one corner.

“Hey, there, buddy,” Tony said. He’d seen enough shit by now that nothing would ever faze him again, he was sure. There was a talking tree and a talking raccoon. A sentient cape was no less bizarre. Plus, the thing was cute. “How’re you doing?”

It couldn’t answer in words, but its movements still managed to convey a message of ‘not bad, all things considered’. Tony could relate.

Strange cleared his throat and the Cloak went back to him, using one of its lapels to tickle the sorcerer’s cheek. Strange rolled his eyes fondly.

“So,” Tony said, arranging himself in a more comfortable position with Loki’s help. “I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

Strange actually flinched at that. “I… I’m sorry.”

“What’s going on?” Loki asked, suspicious gaze going from one to the other. Of course he would notice there was another layer to the conversation. “What are you two talking about?”

It didn’t seem like Loki was going to accept any misdirection, so Tony told him what had happened in Titan, with Strange giving up the Time Stone in exchange for Tony’s life.

“What did you see?” Tony asked. Strange had said he couldn’t say before because he didn’t want to influence events, but they had all survived, so it shouldn’t matter anymore. “I was sure I was going to die.”

Loki made a noise of distress and clutched Tony’s good arm.

Strange looked away. “I saw…” With a sigh, he faced Tony. “I saw you wielding the Gauntlet and destroying Thanos.” Tony waited, knowing there had to be more to it. Strange wouldn’t have been so cagey otherwise. “And… I saw you die.” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”

Tony nodded. “It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out, Doc, and I happen to be one. Sort of.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“You did what you had to do. One life for half of the universe? It’s a no-brainer.” He shrugged. In Strange’s place, he would have done the same. While Tony was a big believer in cutting the wire, he knew sometimes things didn’t work like that. In this line of work, they had to be willing to make the hard choices and the occasional sacrifice. It wasn’t like Tony didn’t know he was putting his life on the line every time he went out there. He’d walked into this with eyes wide open. It was still a heavy burden, though, and he was glad Strange wouldn’t have to live with the weight of that decision for the rest of his life.

“Tony…” Loki started but couldn’t find the words to continue. He alternated between glaring at Strange and looking worriedly at Tony.

“Besides, turns out you saw wrong. Here I am, very much not dead.” Tony smiled, hoping to reassure the sorcerer that there were no hard feelings. “And the bad guys are dead. Win-win.”

“Yes. I don’t… I don’t understand what happened, really. Using the Stones… it should have killed you.” He frowned, then hastened to add, “I’m glad it didn’t, of course.”

“What did you see, exactly? The dying part, I mean.”

Strange sighed. “You fell. Your arm got all dark and then… you were gone.”

“Well, that happened, except I was just unconscious, not dead.”

Strange gave him a look. “I’m a doctor, Stark, I know what a dead person looks like.”

“Did you see me?” Loki asked. He still seemed a bit angry with Strange.

“No. I… I didn’t, actually. Stark was alone in my vision.”

Tony smiled at Loki. “See, babe? You totally saved me. What is this, the third time now? My personal guardian angel.”

“I would rather not have to keep saving you all the time, you know,” Loki said, a mixture of fondness and exasperation in his voice.

“I don’t know why I didn’t see that. You, I mean,” Strange told Loki.

Loki tilted his head, obviously giving the matter some thought.

It was an interesting puzzle, sure, and at another time Tony would love to give it his full attention, but right now he was beginning to get sleepy. All that fighting had really exhausted him – not to the mention the almost dying part.

“Tony? Are you all right?”

“Hmm. Fine. Just need a bit more rest, I guess.”

“I should go, then,” Strange said. “I… I’m really sorry.”

Tony waved his apology away and yawned. “Don’t worry about it, doc.”

“Do you want me to stay, love?”

“Sure. You need the rest too.” He smiled at Loki again, marveling at the fact that they had all survived. Against all odds, they were all here, safe and sound (well, mostly). Really, he couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

His six year nightmare was finally over.

*****

Loki was still there the next time he woke, though he had moved to an adjacent bed – which he had dragged closer to Tony’s. He couldn’t quite tell if the other was asleep, though.

“Lokes?” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

Tony chuckled and reached out with his good hand to pat the nearest arm.

“Jarvis? How are things? Give me a report on what’s been going on while I’ve been stuck in this bed.” He kept his voice low as to allow Loki a bit more rest.

It was time to get back to work. They had won the fight, but there was still the aftermath to deal with. It seemed like Rhodey had things well in hand, though, from what Jarvis told him.

“Darling,” Loki said after a while. “I thought you were going to take it easy.”

Tony snorted. “You have met me, right?”

“Perhaps you’d like to get something to eat, Sir?” Jarvis suggested. “Food has been ordered.”

Tony’s stomach decided to make its agreement known by growling loudly. “Ooh, that’s a great idea.”

“I’ll go get it,” Loki said. He stopped to give Tony a quick kiss on his way out.

They ate in silence for a while, until Tony couldn’t contain his curiosity anymore. “So, what’s the story with Hela?”

Loki told him a bit more about what had happened in Asgard, and Hela’s offer to lend her strength to Earth’s defense. “Apparently, she has been behaving herself.”

“Well, that’s good. Maybe there’s hope for her yet.” He finished his meal and stood.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Bathroom.” He really _really_ needed to pee.

When he came back, Strange was there. He looked much better now; rested and not like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Tony gave him a nod and a smile, and went to rummage in the cabinets for a clean shirt to wear. He would have preferred to actually take a shower, but he wasn’t really feeling up to it.

Putting the shirt on took a bit of effort – because his arm hurt, dammit – and required Loki’s help.

“Tony…” Loki said with a disapproving look.

“There’s a debriefing going on and I want to be there,” Tony explained.

Both Loki and Strange tried to talk him out of it, but Tony ignored them. They got there just in time for Tony to make a bit of dramatic entrance.

It was nice to see everyone getting along and mingling after the meeting was over. Tony couldn’t help think about the old Avengers. A chemical mixture that makes chaos, Bruce had said that first day, and he’d been right. This, though, was a _good_ mixture. Even though the people in the room couldn’t be more different – different species, backgrounds, personalities and abilities – they had all come together and worked alongside one another remarkably well. Of course, the original Avengers had managed to save the day too, but that had kind been more luck than anything else. And, after it was all said and done, they hadn’t managed to connect any better than they had during the invasion. This – these people here now – was a much better example of what real teamwork could be like. There were no egos getting in the way of shit getting done, no individual need to play hero. Sure, Tony had been the one to deal the final blow, but he couldn’t have done it without everyone else doing their part. Though most of the Guardians had had good reason to want to kill Thanos themselves, no one was upset that they hadn’t managed it, because in the end it wasn’t about glory or revenge. It was about saving the world.

Earth’s defenders had done a great job too, Tony knew. The Global Accords he’d worked so hard on had done its job and the casualties had been minimal thanks to everyone’s diligent efforts. Unfortunately, two of the military officers – one manning the tanks and one from the jet – had been killed, as well as one of the sorcerers of the Order. All in all, it was better than he’d expected – and way better than it could have been.

Tony talked to his friends for a while to reassure them that he was okay, then sat down to just observe.

Nebula and Hela caught his attention for being so standoffish, so he signaled to Loki and they went over to talk to them. He was a bit surprised when Nebula accepted his offer of help. She seemed like the kind of person who was used to relying only on herself. Still, he was glad she did.

A bit later, he got her into the lab and got to work recalibrating some of her circuitry. The whole thing was a huge mess. The rest of the Guardians joined them, and he took the opportunity to show Rocket his tech. Scott, who had been hanging out with them after his offer to chaperone them around Earth, also came along. Not surprisingly, he seemed to be fitting right in.

The Guardians were loud and somewhat inappropriate, but it was obvious that they cared about each other, even if they didn’t say it outright. Gamora seemed to be making a conscious effort to include Nebula in the conversation, and the others had picked on that and were doing their best as well. It was sweet, really.

Tony had to call it a day way sooner than he would have liked, but he was still pretty tired. Contrary to popular opinion, he did know when it was time to take a break and rest, and this was one of them. The Guardians didn’t take offense when Tony said they couldn’t stay in the lab without supervision, just nodded and went to explore other parts of the Compound. Friday had already called in the contractors to begin reconstruction, but they wouldn’t start until next week, so Tony told his new friends they could poke around the place, except for some restricted areas.

While Tony would have loved to go home to the Tower, he really wasn’t up to the trip, so he made use of one of the bedrooms (after a shower) for a little nap. Loki joined him.

“How did it go with Hela?” Tony asked with a yawn as they settled themselves into the narrow bed.

“Fine, I guess. She asked when we are going back to Asgard.”

“Hmm… I guess you need to tell Thor you’re okay and Thanos has been taken care of.”

“It can wait a little longer. Go to sleep, love.”

Tony did.

*****

There was a lot to do over the next few days, and Loki elected to wait to return to Asgard until things were mostly settled here on Earth. He had invited both Tony and Bruce to come along – the first to get checked out by Asgard’s Chief Healer and the second just to visit. Tony could hardly wait.

The press conference for the aftermath of the battle was one of the most bizarre Tony had ever attended – which was saying something, considering he’d done hundreds of them. After getting the okay from the Council, the entire team had been present, aliens and all. Tony gave a succinct account of what had happened (toning down the part where half the universe had come uncomfortably close to being snapped out of existence) and introduced everyone who had been involved in Earth’s defense. Predictably, the audience’s eyes almost bugged out of their heads when they saw the Guardians, but everyone was polite and there were a lot fewer questions than Tony had expected – he figured the journalists there just didn’t know where to even start, and he couldn’t blame them.

Then there were other meetings – with the UN, with the US president, with the Accords Council and a bunch of others –, some of which Tony passed off to Rhodey. He was getting a little better, but he still tired more quickly than he usually did (which could also have to do with the fact that he was getting a bit too old for all this).

It was several days later that he finally had enough time to just indulge in one of his favorite pastimes: cuddling with Loki.

“So… hmm…” he started as they were settled into the couch in the penthouse. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Loki tensed. “You saw, didn’t you?”

Tony frowned. “What? See what?”

For a moment, it seemed like Loki was going to change the subject, but he took a deep breath and sat up, visibly steeling himself for a tough conversation. Tony had no idea what was going on, and it freaked him out a little.

“My… My true form,” Loki said at last, gaze somewhere over Tony’s shoulder.

It took Tony a while to figure out what he was talking about. “Oh, you mean the blue-skin thing? Yeah, I saw that.” He knew Loki had a lot of issues about his species due to Asgard’s racist attitude, so he added. “You looked as beautiful as always.” It was true. Though Tony had only caught a glimpse of it, he couldn’t imagine Loki ever looking anything but wonderful.

Loki clearly didn’t know what to say to that, poor thing.

Tony took one of his hands. “I don’t care what you look like, Loki. You’re still you and I love you. Okay? You don’t have to be scared.”

“Thank you, darling.” He gave Tony a watery smile. “I… Sometimes I forget how perfect you are. Thank you. I love you too.”

The rest of the conversation got derailed as they reacquainted themselves with each other. It had not been very long, yet it felt like forever since they had had the opportunity for gentle lovemaking.

Later, as they laid sated and happy in bed, Loki brought up the abandoned conversation.

“You wanted to talk to me about something, love?”

“Hmm… yeah. It’s… it’s nothing, really.”

That stupid dream was still on his mind, the one with the green-eyed kid. What was the point of talking about it, though? Having a kid, even if it was possible, was a terrible idea. Their lives – well, _his_ life, at least – was far too fragile. Tony had almost died. He didn’t want to leave a child behind like that. It was bad enough that he was going to leave _Loki_ far too soon, even if he lived to the ripe old age of ninety (which wasn’t very likely, all things considered).

“Darling, whatever it is… You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I do know that, yeah.” It wasn’t that. It was just… There was no need to open that can of worms. “It was… a stupid thought I had. Not important. Really.”

Loki looked dubious, but nodded. “I love you.”

Tony smiled. “I love you too.”

The silence that followed was comfortable, and Tony was almost asleep when Loki spoke again.

“Will you marry me?”

“Fuck, yeah,” he answered immediately, a wide grin on his face.

It was good to be alive.


	17. Epilogue

**Asgard**

Thor was worried. It had been over a week since Loki had left for Midgard, and there had been no further word from him. After starting the arduous task of assessing the damage and the death toll, Thor had ordered the reconstruction of the Bifrost as a priority. Being unable to contact the other realms put them at a terrible disadvantage, especially at a time like this. It would, however, take a considerable amount of time to complete the work, so Thor had also put out a request for anyone capable of skywalking to come forward. He knew it was a rare talent (and one Thor had never truly appreciated), but he was hoping that there would be someone out there who could serve as a messenger in the meantime.

He had spent his days since the end of the invasion going to the infirmary to visit the wounded, speaking to the Council to organize the rebuilding efforts, making sure the fallen had proper funerals, and reassuring the people that everything would be fine and the threat was past.

He didn’t like lying to his people, but he didn’t think portents of doom would be very helpful at the moment. Besides, he really had no idea what was going on out there, so he might as well be optimistic. The fact that there had been no further attacks was probably a good sign.

“My King, Lady Eir would like to speak to you,” a servant said.

Thor put down the paperwork he’d been reviewing and nodded. “Send her in.”

She didn’t bother with bowing, walking straight in to stand in front of his desk. Thor could see how tired she looked and wished there was something he could do for her. Unfortunately, her talents were in high demand at the moment. Thor would make sure to properly honor her and her staff as soon as the situation was more stable. They certainly deserved it.

“Do you have any news, Lady Eir?” He hoped it would be good ones, though he was aware that there were several patients in her care that were probably not going to make it, despite her best efforts. Heimdall was likely one of them. The Gatekeeper had been gravely injured when the Bifrost was destroyed. Even though Thor had intended to replace him, this was not how he had wanted it to go.

She gave her daily report – Heimdall was indeed getting weaker, as were a few others, while some were finally showing signs of improvement – then requested permission increase her staff again, which Thor promptly granted.

“I have also spoken to two skywalkers,” she added.

“Excellent. I’d like to meet with them immediately.”

“I’m afraid there is a bit of a problem.”

Thor frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Skywalking is a difficult piece of magic, and requires years of study to master. The two people who have presented themselves are only capable of going to Alfheim and Vanaheim. Those are the only paths they are familiar with.”

Well, that was unfortunate. “I understand. I’d like to speak to them anyway.”

She nodded. “I will send them to you.”

Thor had just stood to walk her to the door when the same servant knocked again.

“My King, Prince Loki and Princess Hela have returned. And they have brought guests.”

Thor nearly slumped back in his chair in relief. “Have them taken to the Council Room. Lady Eir, will you accompany me?”

“Of course.”

A king should never hurry anywhere, his father had once told him, but should let everyone else wait. Thor ignored that lesson now, his stride quick yet confident. He needed to see Loki, to find out what had happened in Midgard. He also wondered who these guests were. Aside from Jane while she carried the Aether, it had been centuries since a mortal had entered Asgard (well, except for Bruce when they’d come from Sakaar).

“Loki!” Thor exclaimed as soon as he laid eyes on his brother. He appeared unharmed and… happy? Thor couldn’t resist giving Loki a big hug, even though he knew it annoyed him. The occasion called for it.

“Thor.” Loki inclined his head in greeting, posture loose and relaxed, and didn’t complain about the hug. Thor allowed himself to relax as well. It seemed that everything was all right after all.

Thor then turned his attention to the rest of the party – Hela, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. “Sister. My friends. I am greatly pleased to see you are all well. Won’t you take a seat? I believe we have much to discuss.”

“Thor, where are your manners?” Loki said teasingly. “You haven’t made the introductions.” He turned to Lady Eir, and Thor only now remembered she didn’t know Tony. “Lady Eir, it is my honor to present Tony Stark, Midgard’s most exalted warrior and creator, and my fiancé.”

Tony stepped forward with a smile to kiss Lady Eir’s hand. “The honor is mine. Loki speaks very highly of you.”

Eir smiled back, obviously charmed already. “It is a pleasure, Lord Stark. And congratulations.”

Thor could only stare. Fiancé? When did that happen? “All right, I think we should get started.” He gestured for everyone to sit. “And congratulations.” Thor might still be slightly uncomfortable with that relationship, but if it made Loki happy, Thor could be happy for him too.

The meeting lasted nearly an hour. There was indeed a lot to go through, and Thor had a lot of questions. There was a part of him that was disappointed that he hadn’t been present at the final battle against Thanos – the part that still longed for glory and victory – but he was glad that the enemy had been defeated.

He was also happy to hear that Hela had done quite well among the humans. She did seem more at ease, even pleased. Letting her go had been the right decision. It would also help to get her accepted. Not just yet, of course, it was too soon, but eventually.

“We must have a feast to celebrate our victory,” Thor said, “and to honor the fallen.” He hesitated only slightly before adding, addressing Loki and Tony, “And your upcoming marriage.”

“Oh, it’s going to be a delightful scandal,” Loki said, mischief oozing from every pore. It had been a long time since Thor had seen the playful side of his brother, and he found he had missed it terribly. It would indeed be a scandal, and Thor couldn’t care less. All that mattered was Loki’s happiness.

Bruce left to go find Brunnhilde and say hello, while Hela returned to her chambers – Thor made a mental note to speak to her privately later – and Loki asked Lady Eir for her expertise regarding Tony’s injury. Thor had not seen it, for the jacket the man was wearing concealed it, and couldn’t help wincing a little when it was finally revealed. It certainly looked painful.

Thor left them to it with his best wishes for a speedy recovery and departed. There would be a lot to do to get the feast prepared.

Night had fallen by the time he knocked on Hela’s door.

“Come in.”

Thor accepted the drink she offered him and settled into a chair. “How are you?” he asked.

She gave him a genuine smile. “I am well. Being on Midgard was… enlightening.”

Thor chuckled, remembering his own experiences there. First with Jane, Selvig and Darcy, then with the Avengers. He had learned a lot from the humans, and he was glad that Hela had benefitted from her time there as well.

“I wish I could have stayed longer.”

“Well, I am sure there will be other opportunities to visit. There is Loki’s wedding, after all. I am not sure what he is planning, but I imagine he will want to have it there.”

Hela tilted her head in thought, a small grin appearing at the corner of the mouth. “Yes, you’re right.”

“If I may, you seem… remarkably accepting of it.” Thor had expected her to have the same prejudices as most of Asgard.

She snorted. “Loki is Jotun, is he not?”

Thor frowned. “Yes. What does that have to do with anything?”

“You really don’t know anything about the Jotnar, do you?” She shook her head, then continued wistfully. “My mother was Jotun, you know. I spent some time there as a child.”

“Oh, yes, I… I see.” It made sense. Thor knew that the two realms had once had an amicable relationship. The memory of that had faded away after the war, though, with hatred and anger festering in its place. “I still don’t know understand your point.”

“The Jotnar are shape-shifters by nature, and do not adhere to gender conventions the way the rest of the races in the Nine do. I am something of an anomaly in that I do not have another form, but then I am only half-Jotun.”

Thor’s eyes widened. He remembered Loki taking female form when he was younger, and how uncomfortable it had made Thor to see his brother as a sister. How could Odin and Frigga had kept Loki’s true origins a secret? Poor Loki must have been so confused…

“Have you told Loki this?”

“Yes, we talked about it while we were in Midgard. I should have known you would be as clueless as he was.” Her voice hardened. “It seems I was not the only one betrayed by Odin.”

There wasn’t anything Thor could say to that, so he redirected the conversation to safer topics, inquiring about the humans she had met and what she had done there after the battle was over. It was the most pleasant conversation they had ever had.

*****

The feast was held the following night. Thor gave a speech, not unlike the one he’d given after Hela’s attack. He praised the brave warriors of Asgard, who had fought valiantly, as well as the sorcerers and healers. There were less people this time around, as many had preferred to stay home and start getting their lives back together. The Outriders had destroyed a large portion of the houses near the palace, and reconstruction efforts had only just begun. Still, Thor thought it went okay.

Then he gave the floor to Loki, who spoke about the battle in Midgard and Thanos’s defeat. At least, that was what he said he was going to do. Instead, Tony had rigged up some sort of projector and they actually _showed_ it to the gathered crowd. Thor had to admit it was impressive, and the people certainly thought so as well. There were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ and cheers whenever Thanos took a hit or one of the allied fighters did something particularly impressive. Thor didn’t quite get how Tony had managed to get the Stones from the Gauntlet and into his own glove, but it sure pissed Thanos off – and delighted the crowd. The ending was almost anticlimactic. Tony simply snapped his fingers and Thanos and his army disintegrated into dust.

The projection cut off to wild applause. Loki stood. “People of Asgard, I would like you to meet Midgard’s champion, Tony Stark. Iron Man. Savior of the universe.”

Despite the fact that Tony had been at the high table since the start of the feast, he had probably gone unnoticed by most. Outside his armor he was not a big or imposing man, though he knew how to command a room when the occasion called for it – and he did so now. Thor recalled that Steve had once said that Tony loved the attention of a crowd, but Thor didn’t think that was quite true. Tony simply knew how to take advantage of it when he had it.

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without a whole lot of people, Loki included. One can’t win a war alone, after all.” His grin was infectious. “Many people were instrumental in our victory, including Loki, Hela” (she had been shown in the recording) “and the brave people of Asgard.” He inclined his head to the assembled crowd as well as Loki and Thor. Thor hadn’t thought it was a good idea to have Hela at the feast, but he would be sure to tell her she had been seen on video and praised.

Then Tony sat back down – under even more applause – and Thor figured it was his turn again.

“I would also like to take the opportunity to announce the upcoming wedding of Prince Loki of Asgard and Lord Anthony Stark of Midgard. May the Norns bless their union.”

There was a stunned silence after that proclamation, with people looking at each other and then the couple in question, probably wondering if this was some kind of prank. Their doubt was quickly erased, though, as Loki and Tony kissed passionately in front of the whole assembly, then smiled widely as if they were having the time of their lives.

Thor couldn’t help laugh at their antics, even as the crowd descended into chaotic muttering and head-shaking.

The threat was past. It was going to be all right. They were all stronger than ever now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's it, guys. I hope you liked it.   
> If anyone has any ideas/requests for more stories in the series, let me know. :)  
> Stay safe, everyone.


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